Politics & Government
Cain, Gingrich Tie In Howard County Mock GOP Caucus
Republican presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich tie for first place in the first-ever Howard County Republican Club mock presidential caucus. Candidate Mitt Romney came in third.
Prior to the Howard County Republican Club’s first-ever mock GOP presidential caucus, club president Jeff Robinson had a message to send to prospective candidates.
“Whoever wins better take it seriously,” Robinson said. “Howard County is a bellwether. It’s kind of the New Hampshire of Maryland. People need to pay some attention.”
After nearly two hours of arm pulling, political wrangling, stump speeches, and heckling, club voters picked presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich as their choice for the GOP nomination; the candidates tied with 16 votes each. Mitt Romney came in third place with 11 votes.
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At the moment, Cain is leading in the national polls with Romney trailing close behind.
The Howard County mock caucus was held Thurs., Oct 27, in the Ellicott City VFW hall.
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During the night, representatives from all but two of the campaigns were on hand to lobby for their candidates. Those candidates who did not have representation were Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, both of whom lost in the first round of the caucus garnering little to no support.
About 60 people showed up to the event in Ellicott City; 43 were voting members of the club.
Robinson said he organized the caucus as a means of getting locals more actively involved in the upcoming election.
“You read about the Iowa caucus every four years and yet you never actually see it in play,” he said. “A lot of us are political geeks so we decided, ‘Let’s put on a show—let’s see if it works.'”
During the caucus, the Cain camp was the most boisterous, often resorting to chants to persuade undecided caucus voters.
Meanwhile, during the night's pre-caucus speeches, given by the candidates’ representatives, there were some harsh words for President Barack Obama.
Gingrich representative Joel Rosenberg even went as far as to say: “Obama is a psychopathic serial liar." Yet he noted that Obama “can’t be underestimated,” and that Gingrich would be the best man to take him on.
“Newt is the smartest guy in the room, and the best debater,” Rosenberg said. “He’s Obama’s worst nightmare.”
In the meantime, after the caucus finished up, an excited Robinson noted of the outcome, “It’s about what we expected it to be. If anything it shows the intensity of the individual support of the candidates.”
