re: How did McCain and Romney get the nomination

What happened with Biden this season, is what happened with McCain. In West Virginia, Romney was a thorn in the side of McCain, so everyone cut deals in that caucus to blow out Romney. McCain and Mike Huckabee cut a deal.

quote:

---

Romney entered the caucus with the most pledged convention-goers, but delegates for McCain defected to Huckabee.[2] In the first round of caucusing, the results were Romney 464, Huckabee 375, McCain 176, Paul 118, Giuliani 0. Since no candidate had a majority, Giuliani dropped out and the delegates took a second vote. At this second vote, most Paul and McCain supporters, reportedly acting on commands from their coordinators, shifted to Huckabee, ensuring him the majority.[3] As a result of a deal with Huckabee's camp, Paul's delegates swung to Huckabee in exchange for 3 of the State's 18 national delegates.

The West Virginia caucus was the first of the 21 "Super Tuesday" contests to be counted, with the results being reported in the mid-afternoon. Huckabee's win over the favored Romney was considered a major loss of momentum for Romney's campaign, while it revitalized Mike Huckabee's hopes for the nomination.

---