Posted on 01/24/2008 6:58:24 AM PST by meandog
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Senator John McCain has won the Republican party's caucuses in Louisiana while longshot candidate Ron Paul took second place, the state party said Wednesday, citing preliminary results.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, a leading candidate for the Republican nomination, came in third, Louisiana Republican party Chairman Roger Villere said in a statement.
"I offer my congratulations Senator John McCain on his success in the Louisiana caucuses," Villere said in a statement.
"Senator McCain is an American hero and this is further evidence that he enjoys strong support in Louisiana and throughout the South," he said.
Villere did not release any figures from the caucuses held Tuesday evening, stressing that that the results were preliminary.
The Louisiana contest, however, is not a battleground state in the race for the Republican nomination as candidates have focused on bigger prizes in South Carolina and Florida.
McCain, who won the New Hampshire primary earlier this month, took first place in the South Carolina contest on January 19.
Romney has captured Wyoming, Michigan and Nevada, while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus on January 3.
Republicans are now campaigning hard in Florida, which holds a crucial primary Tuesday that has become a do-or-die contest for former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who has focused his campaing in the large southern state.
A new Florida poll by the St. Petersburg Times on Wednesday showed McCain leading the state with 25 percent, followed by Romney with 23 percent. Giuliani trailed at 15 percent.
Giuliani Wednesday sidestepped the question whether he would continue his race if he loses in Florida.
Asked by CNN interviewer Larry King if he would fight on regardless of the result of Tuesday's Florida primary on which he has staked his high-risk campaign, Giuliani said: "I do not contemplate loss."
"We're going to win in Florida. I have a very good feeling about it," said the ex-New York mayor, who is betting everything on Florida after all but ignoring the early nominating contests in states where he has limited support.
"The polls that we see when you average them out are all within the margin of error," Giuliani said on CNN. "We think they're going to break over the weekend."
Well, we all know how honest they are in La.
l[unatic] candidate Ron Paul took second place......there, fixed it.......
Paul came in second??? Ha ha.
Nuff said.
After seeing the recent twists and turns in the GOP race, a question formed in my mind:
Who can the GOP put forth that can actually win in November?
Before answering, think of the following:
-Yes, I want a conservative to be the nominee
-Both Hunter and Thompson have dropped out, never having gained traction once the voting started. (Regardless of the reasons, the bottom line is that they DIDN’T, so they are out.)
-The article here mentions the Reagan COALITION, which meant he attracted Dems that had conservative tendencies, winning them over with his conservatism.
Therefore, if the White House is to be kept out of the Dems hands, the GOP is going to need someone who can build that kind of coalition-—while not compromising conservatism.
That cannot be done while recieving the vote totals that Hunter and Thompson were getting.
So then, Who can the GOP put forth that can actually win in November?
This is the discussion that is needed on FR.
Louisiana has an odd system. If a candidate doesn’t get 50% then all the delegates go to the State convention uncommitted so we won’t know who Louisiana sends to the National convention until after Feb. 9th. In Louisiana, there is no reward for bridesmaids at this point of the game.
Ping #6- Article’s title is misleading.
in my opinion the only one who seems to make it competitive is McCain - he attracts independents and some Dems. Before anyone goes nutty on my i voted for Fred in NH and cannot stand McCain but i will vote for him, Romney or just about anyone who gets the R nomination except Ron Paul in the general election
It’s the Associated Press.
Well, AFP.
Unfortunately, a lot of news sources are running with this innaccurate story. For most other States it would be important that McCain came in second, but not in Louisiana where you only get the gold if you get above 50%.
Right now, none until the count is official. In Louisiana, if a candidate doesn’t get above 50%, all delegates go to the State convention as undecided and vote then. We really won’t know anything relevant from Louisiana until after February 9th.
There is a concerted effort by the press to get McCain nominated by the Republicans, with the intent to tear him to shreds later in the general election campaign.
The question is not who can win.
If you follow the sidebar polls, the four front runners all have major portions of the conservative electorate who will refuse to vote for them if they are the nominee. This is what killed Dole - and Dole didn’t lose by a landslide.
All that is needed is to quit trying to put lipstick on pigs, and pick a candidate with no big negatives. So fare the Republican party shows no intention of following that simple principal.
Funny way of reporting it: ‘none of the above’ (a slate of delegates not formally committed to any candidate, but most of whom were, and may still be, planning on voting for Thompson on the first ballots) won.
Those reports of the LA caucases that have McCain as winner are instructive as to which news outlets are incompetent and/or don't have a smattering of integerity. IOW, those reporting McCain as winner grade out as did the Clinton WH operatives: Either dishonest or inept.
you would vote for Rudy? I won’t vote for that man
Next....
Will be the Feb 9th actual vote at the polls to select the remaining delegates to their state convention.
From the Lagop press release:
“Preliminary results show that a majority of the 105 state convention delegates who have been elected ran on a statewide pro-life uncommitted slate,” Villere said. “I congratulate the candidates and supporters of this group on their victory and look forward to working with them to keep our Party platform pro-life at the state and national conventions,” he said.
Delegate candidates endorsed by US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) appear to have won more state convention delegate positions than any other presidential slate at the Louisiana Caucuses.
“I offer my congratulations Senator John McCain on his success in the Louisiana caucuses,”” Villere said. “Senator McCain is an American hero and this is further evidence that he enjoys strong support in Louisiana and throughout the South,” he said.
Supporters of Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) appear to have captured the next highest number of delegate positions.
“I applaud the supporters of Congressman Paul for their enthusiasm and superior organizational ability,” Villere said. “Our Party needs the infusion of new activists who have both political skill and a passion for protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution,” he said. “I left the caucus with a renewed commitment to promote our core Republican principles of limited government and individual freedom, thanks to the zeal displayed by Congressman Paul’s Louisiana supporters,” Villere said.
In addition to the uncommitted delegates and McCain and Paul supporters, Governor Mitt Romney appears to have won a handful of state convention delegates......
Second, candidates for delegate in Louisiana historically have run on one or another slate, but not on multiple slates. This year, however, many candidates ran on more than one slate. There was significant overlap, for example, between the McCain and Pro-Life slates. So determination of which slate won is not as clear-cut. But it certainly appears that the order was: Uncommitted Pro-Life, McCain, Paul, Romney, others.
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