A Good Night

I'd say that tonight's Memphis straw poll saw Gov. Romney as the big winner. Naturally, there are a few caveats. Of course, Sen. Frist actually won, but that's to be expected since it is his home state. And Sen. McCain essentially punted so as to blunt the significance of the poll and keep Sen. Allen from picking up a victory on him.

But, let's look at the significance here: Romney defeated Allen, the insider favorite to spoil McCain by a fairly significant margin (almost 33%). Which means he's obviously playing well with those who take time to listen to him. We're also seeing that he has some good organizational skills from his supporters which will help him in the smaller caucus states.

This is one more step towards cementing Gov. Romney as one of the Big Three coming into 2007, when he'll have months to roam the primary states earning cash and making a name for himself.

Edit: It seems Gov. Romney won a small Michigan straw poll outright.