Mitt Romney Picks-up a Win and Seeking to Secure Nomination as Opposition Flounders | Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

White House hopeful Romney gets boost in Maine

US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney got a sorely needed boost in the rocky race for the Republican presidential nomination, winning a non-binding contest in Maine and a straw poll among conservatives after a trio of unnerving losses.

The former Massachusetts governor edged out Texas congressman Ron Paul by fewer than 200 votes in the Maine caucuses, and outpolled former senator Rick Santorum in the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

Though largely symbolic, those wins spelled relief for a candidate whose frontrunner status was again put in question Tuesday when Santorum scored upset victories in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota.

“He just doesn’t have the enthusiasm that I think we have been able to get in our crowds, you know, really excited about what he believes in. I think that’s his biggest problem,” Paul told CNN after losing to Romney in Maine.

“But I would say, yes, he is out in front and people are picking away at him. He lost a few but he picked up a little steam today. You have to give him credit for that,” he said.

Despite Romney’s wins, however, the Republican race to pick a standard bearer to run against Obama in November remained unsettled.

Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential candidate and conservative firebrand, told conservatives meeting in Washington not to settle too quickly on a candidate, but to let them fight on.