Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

Former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee has beaten his high-spending rivals to top the Republican vote in Iowa. The state is the first caucus vote in the contest to choose the party's 2008 presidential candidate.

Huckabee topped the Iowa Republican caucus with 34% of the vote, ahead of closest rival Mitt Romney on 25%. Romney is a former Massachusetts governor-turned venture capitalist, who has been heavily hyped in the media, and has been spending up big to try and win the Republican nomination.

In the race for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama beat out John Edwards (2nd) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (3rd) to win the first contest in Iowa. Neither Huckabee or Obama were picked to be the winners by the polling companies used by most of the media in the leadup to Iowa.

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Ron Paul won a respectable 10% of the vote, to pick up 2 delegates in Iowa.Paul scored more than double the support of Rudy Guiliani, the high-profile former Mayor of New York City (4%, 0 delegates), and finished not far behind John McCain (13%, 3 delegates) and Fred Thompson (13%, 3 delegates).

Ron Paul told supporters he's happy with the result, saying “I am more encouraged than ever before”. Iowa wasn't a major target for Dr Paul's campaign, and the Texan is now focusing on the next contests, with the New Hampshire presidential primary next Tuesday, January 8th.