Maine Caucus Results to be Reviewed

Friday, 17 Feb 2012 02:03 PM
By Martin Gould

Mitt Romney’s presidential hopes have taken another bashing as his victory in the Maine caucuses was snatched from him pending a recount which will not be announced for more than three weeks.

Under-fire party chairman Charlie Webster, who initially insisted that despite irregularities in the count, Romney would still win, said new figures would not be released until after a Republican State Committee meeting on March 10, nearly a month after the vote was supposed to have concluded.

The decision robs Romney of some of his bragging rights, at least temporarily, as he can now only say that he has won three states in the primary season, compared to four won by Rick Santorum and one by Newt Gingrich.

The fiasco in Maine follows problems in two other states that use the caucus systems and has cast doubt on the whole process. In Iowa, Romney’s initial slender victory was overturned in favor of Santorum, while in Nevada the result was delayed for hours.

Figures for Washington County, which is due to hold its caucuses on Saturday after postponing them for a week due to a threatened snow storm, will be considered for inclusion in the final tally, Webster said.

The count in the Pine Tree State involves fewer than 6,000 votes. In the initial count Romney beat Ron Paul by 194. The caucus results are non-binding.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Maine Caucus Results to be Reviewed Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!