MOUNT DESERT, Maine — There was little indication Saturday morning at a Mount Desert Island-wide Republican Party caucus about which presidential candidate was the preferred choice.
About 60 people attended the sedate, two-hour gathering, and of those only three people — one of whom is an elected GOP state legislator from Ellsworth — spoke openly to the group about who they supported in the Republican presidential nomination contest.
Robert Page of Southwest Harbor, the Hancock County coordinator for the Ron Paul campaign, spoke in support of the Texas congressman while Maine state Sen. Brian Langley of Ellsworth and Swan’s Island resident Jeffrey Ellison spoke in support of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. No one addressed the group in support of either of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich or former Sen. Rick Santorum.
The outcome of the caucus, in keeping with the expressed wishes of the Maine Republican Party, was not disclosed. State GOP leaders have said they plan to announce how the four Republican presidential candidates fared at party caucuses throughout the state, which are spread out over several weeks, on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 11.
Ron Paul visited Maine last weekend, making several public appearances, but none of the other four candidates have appeared in Maine for the 2012 campaign. All four are further west this weekend, either campaigning in Nevada, which also is holding Republican caucuses on Saturday, or other states.
Much of the caucus activity Saturday on MDI was oriented more towards the nuts-and-bolts aspects of local party organization, rather than debate over who the party’s presidential nominee should be, according to officials.
Joanne Eaton, GOP chairman for the town of Mount Desert, said that a lot of what was decided Saturday was “boring.” Registered Republican voters broke into groups representing each of MDI’s towns and, aside from writing down their presidential choice, also elected local party leaders and decided who would represent the town’s GOP organization at the upcoming state convention in May.
“That’s important [but] that’s not the exciting part of it,” Eaton said.
Paul Paradis, a Bar Harbor town councilor, also got up to speak to the larger group before it broke up into smaller groups representing individual towns. Paradis is planning to run as a Republican candidate for District 35 in the Maine House of Representatives, which is currently held by Elsie Flemings, a two-term Democrat from Bar Harbor.
Paradis echoed Eaton in extolling the importance of the caucus’ organizational votes to maintaining the party’s grass-roots presence in local towns. He said the willingness of local GOP voters to tend to those duties, and not to get into heated debates about candidates, is one reason he enjoys attending local caucuses.
“That’s why I like this group of people,” Paradis said. “Sometimes there’s disagreement, but there’s never any drama about it.”
More information about the scheduling of other GOP caucuses in Maine can be found on the Maine GOP website, www.mainegop.com. The party’s state convention is expected to be held May 5 and 6 in Augusta. Maine delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, which is scheduled for Aug. 27-30 in Tampa, Fla., will be selected at the state convention.
Follow BDN reporter Bill Trotter on Twitter at @billtrotter.
How did this turnout compare to the 2008 Republican caucus there? If anyone can share that same information about other locations, please include it in a comment.
I almost fell asleep reading this article. Yawn.
Romney
Anti-Gun
Pro-ObamaCare
Pro-Quimby
ABR
Anybody But Romney
The Caucus system is rediculous. 60 people from the entire island, that’s it? How many people would have voted in a secret ballot primary on their way to work? Having a Republican Party meeting of some sort is great in order to take care of party business, but is an outdated method for picking Presidential candidates.Can a young couple with several small children easily attend? Voters have so many ways to collect and evaluate information compared to even 20 years ago.
If I went to a meeting, voted, and was then told I couldn’t know the vote count until it was announced by some big wigs in Augusta, I’d have a big problem with that.
But I’m a Democrat and go to caucuses where everything is open to the light of day.
If I went to a meeting, voted, and was then told I couldn’t know the vote count until it was announced by some big wigs in Augusta, I’d have a big problem with that.**************************************************************************
It seems as though you have a problem with reading comprehesion, also. The 60 people attnding the caucus all know the results of the vote. The caucus was a formal meeting that, AMONG OTHER DUTIES, voted for their presidential preference. All votes were counted at the meeting and announced. Since all the caucuses have not yet been held, results of the presidential preference vote will not be announced to the press until the last one is held and all the votes tabulated. iow, no exit polling.
Perhaps you missed this?
“There was little indication Saturday morning at a Mount Desert Island-wide Republican Party caucus about which presidential candidate was the preferred choice.”
“The outcome of the caucus, in keeping with the expressed wishes of the Maine Republican Party, was not disclosed. State GOP leaders have said they plan to announce how the four Republican presidential candidates fared at party caucuses ”
Republican caucus results are a big secret. We wouldn’t want anyone to know until the party leaders in Augusta get their hands on them, would we?
poor reporting by the bdn, as usual…as with other caucuses around the state, the participants know the results, but they are not publicizing them until all the caucuses have been held. I don’t want the bdn declaring a winner before all the votes are counted.
Thanks for your apology for the reading comprehension remark.
Here’s a link to results of several studies you’ll be interested in:
http://news.yahoo.com/low-iq-conservative-beliefs-linked-prejudice-180403506.html
Sounds to me like a Nanny-Party where big shots dictate how votes are announced.
ahhh, what does your article have to do with the fact that you flubbed your first post? What’s wrong, dear—are you “upset” that you can’t get that information yet for your blog? I wonder if you even understand what a caucus IS? Do you think the Iowa caucus was tallied and reported at 9:00 AM? I wasn’t there, but I do believe they waited until all the votes were cast, the process they use completed, and results tallied before they announced who won. Your Democrats do it this way also, so I don’t know what you are kvetching about.
Well how many Republicans do you think the Island has anyway. That was a pretty good showing.
Not really, Caucus goers understand politics, the economy, and the candidates better than the average uninvolved dupe that votes in a primary because it’s “easy” and votes the way CNN or Fox news or talk radio propaganda told him to.
Caucus goers research, that just don’t look at sound bites, talking point memos or slanted MSM stories.
Saying that, even the average caucus goer is easily fooled to picking someone like Romney, who made a mess of his state Mass.
I am so proud of my community. :D
Ah, 60 islandahs choosing between detached, despotic, delusional, and disgusting.
I am a Republican, and if America makes it’s bed with Romney, I will vote 3rd Party.
Obama will get 4 more years.
AMERICANS are stupid, they vote in the same kind of people every 4 years and have caused our downfall.
Top secret Gop hooplah in the works, why not the results? I hope some of the summer folks and summer help stick around long enough to vote.
Here is evidence that voter fraud took place in Nevada! Watch the entire video and look at the results.
http://youtu.be/TGHJERqsu2c
Please check exit polls against the results that actually get reported in your precincts.