OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Mitt Romney took an early lead in Washington state’s presidential straw poll vote, after thousands of Republicans crowded caucus precinct sites across the state.
With only a small percent of the overall vote counted by mid-afternoon Saturday, Romney has 32 percent of the vote in the preliminary results, followed by 27 percent for Ron Paul. Rick Santorum had 24 percent of the vote, and Newt Gingrich had 13 percent.
Republicans had predicted up to 60,000 people attending Saturday’s caucuses. The results released Saturday afternoon were based on less than 4,000 votes counted and certified so far from 15 counties.
While the caucuses are a nonbinding contest, state Republicans say it could create momentum for the four candidates on their last stop before Super Tuesday, where voting takes place in 10 states.
