Super Tuesday: First Election Results from West Virginia

Huckabee Wins! wins All 18 Delegates available today 30 delegates will be awarded at a later date.

Update: Romney was leading in the first round of votes. In an interesting twist, McCains people threw all of thier delegates to Huckabee pushing him to a clear majority win of 51.5% to Romney’s 47.4%. The Anger is growing between the McCain and Romney Camps with on air comments and statements directed at each other. There is also complaints from Romney supporters that they are receiving the so called Robo Calls that are questioning Romney’s faith and calling him a Liberal.

(Politisite) – The first results in the Super Tuesday Show down was in West Virginia where the delegates are thrown to candidates based on a convention rather than a Primary or Caucus. In the first round, Ron Paul was eliminated in a contest where 50% and one vote is required to declare a winner. The lowest percentage candidate is eliminated in each vote until a clear winner prevails. The full results will be available withn the hour were we will report the final results here.

Huckabee Wins West Virginia GOP Contest in Second Round, With Help From McCain

Mike Huckabee won the first of 21 GOP contests on Super Tuesday, pulling out a victory in the West Virginia Republican convention even though Mitt Romney won the first round.

The former Arkansas governor pulled ahead after John McCain’s delegates apparently defected to his side. In round two, Huckabee took 51.5 percent to Romney’s 47.4 percent.

The convention had to go into a second round of voting Tuesday after no candidate took a clear majority the first time. Texas Rep. Ron Paul was knocked out, but Huckabee, Romney and John McCain moved forward.

Source: youdecide08.foxnews.com via politisite

The Convention

Though state delegates are free to change allegiances, Romney entered the convention with the largest bloc at 210. Huckabee followed with 138, while Paul attracted 95.

McCain had 15 and is also expected to pick up at least some of the 160 delegates gathered by Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani before they quit the race.

Source: whsv.com via politisite

McCain, Romney Argue As Voters Choose :: PostStar.com

Tempers heated up between the top GOP hopefuls, with McCain attacking his opponent for having a “terrible record as governor” and Romney retorting that he must be in strong contention if he’s so able to get under the Arizona senator’s skin.

And in West Virginia, Romney told supporters at the state Republican nominating convention that McCain’s support for global warming curbs “would effectively kill coal,” a lifeblood of the state, and just one of the McCain positions he branded out of the conservative mainstream.

Source: poststar.com via politisite

Romney Seeks W.V. Momentum

By Glenn Kessler
CHARLESTON, W.V. — Hoping for some early momentum on Super Tuesday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney this morning sought support from a GOP convention that will award 18 delegates to the national convention. The roll call of 1,200 delegates will take place before noon, meaning the results will be reported before polls close in primary states.

Romney, who flew through the night from California to arrive here for the convention, already has won commitments from the state’s three “super-delegates.” The remaining nine of the state’s delegates to the national convention will be awarded in May to the winner of a primary vote in each of the state’s nine congressional districts.

This is the first time West Virginia Republicans have awarded delegates through a convention, a process that Romney’s West Virginia senior advisor John McCutcheon likened to the “slow drill school of dentistry.” Each of the state’s 52 counties held conventions or elections to select delegates to the convention, which was held in Charleston’s civic center.

Romney began the day with 280 committed delegates, more than any other candidate.

“No one has had a ground game better than Gov. Romney,” McCutcheon said, a sentiment echoed by other campaigns. This was Romney’s fourth visit to the state, and campaign staff has been working in the state since 2006, he said.

Rep. Ron Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also planned to address the convention. McCain was sending a surrogate speaker.

“I am the only candidate who can stop John McCain,” Romney told his committed delegates at a breakfast meeting. “I am getting an extraordinary groundswell of support.”

Melodie Ann Williams, a 52-year-old real estate investor and a delegate from the state’s eastern panhandle region, was attending the convention in a flag shirt adorned with a flag pins in the shape of a heart and Mickey Mouse.

Source: blog.washingtonpost.com via politisite

In Other News

Team Hillary Accepts Fox Debate Invite

by Aaron Bruns

Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson just announced that the campaign has accepted a Fox News invitation for a one-on-one debate with Barack Obama in Washington DC on February 11 — the day before the so-called Potomac Primary featuring DC, Virginia, and Maryland. The debate would also air locally on the DC Fox affiliate WTTG.

Republican Results
County Results

1 of 1 Precincts ReportingFebruary 5, 2008

Candidate

%

Votes

Delegates

HUCKABEE

52%

567

18

ROMNEY

47%

521

0

MCCAIN

1%

12

0

GIULIANI

0%

0

0

PAUL

0%

0

0

Source: election.cbsnews.com via politisite

Past General Elections

Past General Elections

2004

Bush, George W.

R

417,516

56%

Kerry, John F.

D

322,276

43%

2000

Bush, George W.

R

336,475

51.9%

Gore, Al

D

295,497

45.6%

1996

Clinton, Bill

D

327,812

51.5%

Dole, Bob

R

233,946

36.8%

Perot, Ross

REF

71,639

11.3%

Source: youdecide08.foxnews.com via politisite