Mitt Romney Wins Wyoming Caucus Vote, Fred Thompson Places Second
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 5, 2008
Cheyenne, WY (LifeNews.com) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the Saturday caucus vote in Wyoming, a result not unexpected given the money he poured into the state and its sizable Mormon population. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson placed second while Rep. Duncan Hunter came in third.
Wyoming’s caucus vote was more establishment-oriented than that of Iowa and only a select number of members of the Republican Party’s central committee and precinct delegates had voting powers.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, came away with eight delegates while Thompson won three and Hunter one.
Thompson had the support of the state’s leading pro-life organization, Right to Life of Wyoming.
As a result of the process, most media outlets and some of the presidential candidates ignored the state even though it jumped to second in the presidential selection process. New Hampshire, the traditional second state, has received significantly more attention.
The results are a disappointment for Rep. Ron Paul, who, like Romney, Thompson and Hunter, was one of the few to make an appearance in the state. Paul led a Cheyenne rally with hundreds of people and his campaign aggressively targeted the state.
The Wyoming caucus may provide Romney a boost after his distant second place showing in Iowa behind Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who won the first primary battleground.
But with little media attention, he and other candidates who finished down the line in Iowa will need a stronger showing in New Hampshire to have a chance at capturing the nomination.
Current polling data in New Hampshire shows Arizona Sen. John McCain leading, Romney in second and Huckabee third. Paul and Rudy Giuliani are in a race for fourth.
