Romney May Go It Alone in Iowa Straw Poll

Mormon leads Pubs in Midwest

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney has won the Iowa straw poll, widely regarded as a colander for presidential hopefuls, the Washington Post reports. Romney beat out a field of conservatives in the non-binding vote in Ames, but left-lilting frontrunner Rudy Giuliani had already bowed out of the race. More»

Candidate's decision to skip straw poll raises questions about McCain, caucuses

(NEWSER) - Rudy Giuliani will skip the August Iowa straw poll, a decision that allows him to trim some $3 million out of his budget as he attempts to maintain his national frontrunner status. His campaign manager says Giuliani is "100% committed to winning" the January caucuses, but the decision renews speculation that he'll skip the state altogether, the AP reports. More»

Backchannel back-stabbing on rise ahead of Iowa poll

(NEWSER) - With second-tier candidates sensing that Saturday's straw poll may be their last, best chance to stay in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Iowa is abuzz with whispering campaigns, Slate's John Dickerson says. The homegrown negative ads are a major tool for cash-poor politicians with names like Tancredo, Brownback and Huckabee. More»

Many pundits ruled out Obama victory early

(NEWSER) - With the election over, what's more fun than calling out all those whose predictions were off—way off. Der Spiegel lists some highlights:

• "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win." Hillary Clinton, on Barack Obama
• "We'll win Florida." Rudy Giuliani
• "Virginians are really getting fired up for this ticket of McCain and Palin." George Allen
• "Romney for the Republicans, Hillary for the Democrats." Ann Coulter, on the nominees

Showing could catapult GOP longshot into top echelon

(NEWSER) - Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was a surprise winner in Iowa's straw poll yesterday when he came in a strong second, which may have catapulted him into the top tier. He pulled 18.1% of the vote to Mitt Romney’s 31.5%. Huckabee's performance is particularly impressive given that he spent almost no money on the race, report's Politico's Roger Simon. More»