Romney wins Maine caucuses

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Republican Party's Maine caucuses with 39 percent of the vote, state party chairman Charlie Webster said on Saturday evening.

Second place in the contest was libertarian Texas congressman, Ron Paul, with 36 percent.

The outcome has been seen as a comeback for Romney, who had suffered a series of surprise defeats in three state caucuses earlier in the week.

"Just remember, the revolution is only beginning," Paul told his supporters, conceding defeat.

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, who picked up just 18 percent of the vote in Maine, finished in third place. The other candidate, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, secured just 6 percent.

Romney also won the straw poll of Republican activists on Saturday, taking 38 percent of votes from attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Santorum - a religious conservative positioned to the political right of Romney - came second in that poll, with 31 percent.

Santorum's campaign received a boost on Tuesday when he emerged as the Romney's greatest rival with victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. However, the former senator had never been expected to win in Maine.

Romney has already won state primaries - part of the race to become the party candidate for the US presidency - in New Hampshire, Florida and Nevada. Santorum has claimed victory in a total of four states.

rc/ng (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)