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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/romney-end-losing-streak-maine-15561379
Maine's caucuses began Feb. 4 and continued throughout the week. Several communities elected to hold their caucuses at a later date.
Caucuses in Washington County that had been scheduled for Saturday were postponed until Feb. 18 because of a major snowstorm that blanketed the region. Earlier, party Executive Director Michael Quatrano said county officials had been told the results of that caucus would not count toward the total.
But Washington County GOP Chairman Chris Gardner objected, saying he had known his county's tally wouldn't be included in Saturday's announcement but didn't realize it wouldn't be counted at all. He said he had called state party leaders and "expressed my complete and utter dismay."
Gardner, a Romney supporter, said the snowstorm had left him no choice but to postpone the caucuses.
"Refusal to reconsider under those circumstances would be extremely disheartening," he told The Associated Press. "I trust that the party will make the right decision here."
He added, "We will proceed next Saturday. We'll have our vote and we are going to submit it to the state party for them to reconsider."
Many Paul supporters were angry.
"There's a very good chance that you'll find that Washington County goes for Ron Paul," said Mark Willis, a county coordinator for the Paul campaign.
His wife, Violet, added, "We don't want to be disenfranchised."
Webster told reporters there were less than 200 votes in Washington County and he doubted that including them would have changed the outcome.
Speaking to supporters in Portland, Paul expressed disappointment that only a portion of the state's caucuses had counted toward the total.
"I wish all the caucuses had met today," Paul said, adding, "It's almost like we could call it a tie."
Romney was attending a fundraiser in California late Saturday, after visiting caucus sites in Maine earlier in the day, where he pressed voters for their backing.
"I thank the voters of Maine for their support," Romney said in a statement late Saturday. "I'm committed to turning around America. And I'm heartened to have the support of so many good people in this great state."
Romney visited two caucus sites Saturday after abandoning plans to take the day off. The change made clear that his campaign could ill-afford another loss.
FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidates, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, right, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney share a laugh during a break in a Republican presidential debate at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. Romney and Paul rarely acknowledge each other in the Republican presidential race, focusing their attention and attacks on rivals Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum instead. That curious detente will be tested in Maine's caucuses Saturday, where Romney's reputation as a political shape shifter is set to go head-to-head with Paul's quirky but consistent set of libertarian beliefs.
Romney also held a town hall-style meeting in Maine on Friday night. It was the first time he'd taken voter questions since campaigning in South Carolina last month.
Maine's nonbinding presidential straw poll had drawn virtually none of the hype surrounding recent contests in Florida and Nevada, where candidates poured millions of dollars into television and radio advertising.
Romney's campaign had placed only a small cable television ad buy airing Friday and Saturday, at a cost of several thousand dollars. But he sent surrogates to the state in recent days and hosted a telephone town hall in addition to Friday's campaign stop.
Romney consistently declined to criticize Paul, however.
Instead, he lobbed indirect criticism at Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and Gingrich, a former House speaker, by repeating intensifying rhetoric of recent days that paints them as tainted Washington insiders.
"I have never spent a day in Washington working," Romney said. "I expect to go there, get it fixed and then go home."
He added, "In my home with my mom and dad I learned conservative values. In my faith I learned conservative values. And in my business."
Romney won 11 delegates in Maine and Texas Rep. Ron Paul won 10, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were shut out.
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