Even though Thune doesn't represent any of the caucus voters in Iowa, his endorsement of McCain carries weight across the state line. Norma Jansma of Rock Rapids said, "Senator Thune has a very good reputation in this area, he's a South Dakota boy, so I think it helps." [Groten, 2007.01.03].
So how much did it help? Let's check the really cool interactive map at the Des Moines Register, which breaks down caucus results by county:
County | Top 3 Finishers | County | Top 3 Finishers | ||
Lyon | Huckabee | 42% | Clay | Huckabee | 36.8% |
McCain | 22.2% | Romney | 20.2% | ||
Romney | 19.8% | Thompson | 17.3% | ||
Sioux | Huckabee | 52.9% | Buena Vista | Huckabee | 32.5% |
McCain | 15.7% | Romney | 22.6% | ||
Romney | 14% | Thompson | 21% | ||
O'Brien | Huckabee | 55.7% | Cherokee | Huckabee | 32.5% |
Romney | 13.8% | Romney | 26.9% | ||
Thompson | 12.5% | McCain | 15.6% | ||
Osceola | Huckabee | 30.6% | Plymouth | Romney | 33.9% |
Paul | 25.9% | Huckabee | 24.8% | ||
Romney | 20.4% | McCain | 16.4% | ||
Dickinson | Huckabee | 26.3% | data compiled from Des Moines Register interactive map 2007.01.04 | ||
McCain | 25.5% | ||||
Romney | 23.7% |
One could argue McCain outpaced Thompson in NW Iowa, better than his statewide third-place tie with Thompson. But even Thune's fundagelical credentials couldn't swing those Huckabee voters away from their man. (And the moment I type that, I hear Mara Liasson on NPR say that Huckabee did well among all groups of Iowa Republicans, not just the hyperreligious.) If we're talking clout, PP might have swung as many Iowa voters toward Thompson as Thune did toward McCain (let's see those site stats, PP, and count up Iowa readers!).
The Madville Times welcomes your interpretations of the data. We also welcome anyone who an explain Ron Paul's outstanding performance in Sibley and the rest of Osceola County.
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