WASHINGTON - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Sunday that low turnout and the absence of some notable opponents shouldn't diminish his win in Iowa's Republican Party Straw Poll.
Romney said the straw poll did just what it was designed to do: Let candidates demonstrate support that could propel them to victory in the state's caucuses this winter.
He maintained that the decisions by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona to skip the event demonstrated his campaign's strength.
"I think if they thought they could have won, they would have been here," Romney said on Fox News Sunday. "If you can't compete in the heartland, if you can't compete in Iowa in August, how are you going to compete in January when the caucuses are held, and how are you going to compete in November of '08?"
Romney had been expected to win the test, largely an exercise reflecting a candidate's organizational strengths, because he spent millions of dollars and months of effort on the event.
Romney scored 4,516 votes, 31.5 percent, to outpace former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who had 2,587 votes, 18.1 percent. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback was third with 2,192 votes, 15.3 percent.
While Romney won handily, Huckabee argued it was his second place finish that should be the most important story coming out of the straw poll. Huckabee said his campaign had little money to spend and dedicated less than $100,000 to the straw poll.
"It wasn't just that we surprised people with a second showing, it's that we did it with so few resources," Huckabee said Sunday. "This really was feeding the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves."
Brownback and Huckabee had waged a fierce competition for the loyalty of influential social and religious conservatives.
Eight years ago, about 23,600 people voted in the straw poll. On Saturday, only about 14,300 did. Romney attributed the turnout to heat and the expectation that he would be a runaway victor.
"I got a higher percentage even than the president got eight years ago," Romney said. "It was a warm day, and actually, it was difficult turning people out."
Brownback called his third-place finish "a ticket on board to the caucuses" and downplayed Romney's victory.
"I think Mitt Romney has probably hit on top of his ceiling," said Brownback on ABC's "This Week."
Huckabee said his victory catapulted him to the top tier of candidates. He said those who declined to participate in the straw poll did not want to be embarrassed by a poor showing.
"What they did was forfeit the game," Huckabee said on CBS' Face the Nation. "If you forfeit, it's a loss. They knew they weren't going to do well with Iowa voters because Iowa voters tend to be far more conservative."
Historically, the straw poll has helped winnow the field of presidential candidates. Prior to the event, Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson had said repeatedly that if he didn't finish in the top two his campaign was likely to end.
"Candidates who finish in the bottom half of the straw poll should withdraw from the race and support the rest of the field," Thompson said on his campaign Web site in June.
Thompson finished in 6th place with 1,039 votes, which put him behind Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.
He left the event before the results were announced. In Milwaukee, his campaign said Thompson would make an announcement about his future within 48 hours.
