Closer look

In a glowing editorial today, New Hampshire's influential conservative newspaper, The Manchester Union-Leader, says Mike Huckabee "deserves a closer look from Republican and independent voters" after his second-place finish at Ames Strawpoll.

Of all the lesser-known GOP candidates, Huckabee has impressed us the most. He is articulate, sharp, and well-versed on more topics than one would expect a small-state governor to be knowledgeable about.

Someone else

Noam Schieber of The New Republic on the Ames Strawpoll.

Huckabee spent exactly zero resources busing in supporters and still managed 18 percent of the vote. The other two campaigns bought hundreds, if not thousands, more straw-poll tickets than the number of votes they received. (Straw poll attendees must obtain a $35-ticket in order to vote. Campaigns typically buy them up and distribute them to supporters.) Huckabee bought around 1800 tickets and received almost 2600 votes. Clearly, Romney and Brownback dropped a lot of cash on people who ended up voting for someone else, and that someone else was probably Huckabee.

Unofficial Ames results

Marc Ambinder has the unofficial results.

Romney wins with 31% and a paltry 4,516 votes -- far under his campaign's predictions. Huckabee placed second with 18.1% with 2587, but not too far ahead of Brownback (15.3%) and Tancredo (13.7%). Don't expect any of them to drop out yet.

Ron Paul (9.1%) will continue to raise eyebrows and Tommy Thompson (7.3%) will almost certainly drop his bid now.

Attack attention

In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, second tier candidates have finally drawn some attention -- for relentlessly attacking each other.

Leaving the frontrunners Giuliani, Romney, and McCain to squabble amongst themselves, Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee are going at it. Early this week, a Huckabee surrogate derided Brownback for converting to Catholicism. The two campaigns have traded barbs, and now the Club For Growth is attacking Huckabee with an ad in Iowa.