My predictions, followed by the result and comments.
Alabama - Huckabee
(correct) Proportional delegate distribution meant that Huck only picked up 4 more than McCain, so essentially a push.
Alaska - McCain
(incorrect, Romney)Romney shows his strength, again, in the north. Another proportional state, however; Romney picked up 12 and Huckabee got 6.
Arizona - McCain
(correct)It was touch and go through the first 15% of the precincts, but McCain ended with a comfortable 13-point lead in his home state.
Arkansas - Huckabee
(correct)A much stronger showing by Huckabee in AR than McCain in AZ. The difference? Huck got 26 delegates for stomping everyone in AR, and McCain got 53 for "just" winning AZ.
California - McCain
(correct)The results are not all in, but it looks like McCain will have the lion's share of the proportional delegates. Not like he needs them at this point.
Colorado - McCain
(incorrect, Romney)Mitt snags 22 handily.
Connecticut - McCain
(correct)WTA state, and McCain crushed Romney right next door to Romney's home turf.
Delaware - McCain
(correct)Ditto
Georgia - Huckabee
(correct)Huckabee's biggest win of the night.
Illinois - McCain
(correct)My home state (and my county for god's sake) went heavily McCain, giving him an easy 54 delegates.
Massachusetts - Romney
(correct)McCain made it close enough in MA to create a push; Romney pulled 22 and McCain grabbed 18. Pretty pathetic showing for Romney in his home state.
Minnesota - Romney
(correct)Expected; close to Michigan, full of people who consider the economy their number one issue and for some reason think that Romney is the man to fix it.
Missouri - Huckabee
(incorrect, McCain)This is the state that killed Huckabee's presidential hopes. He lost by a measly 9000 votes, but with WTA, it may as well have been 900,000. The 120 delegate swing if he had won would have put him in much better shape. Now, he settles for VP or a cabinet position.
Montana - McCain
(incorrect, Romney)Again, Romney with the north. I guess he looks sort of like a viking; he certainly talks like one.
New Jersey - McCain
(correct)New Jersey, New Hampshire...same difference.
New York - McCain
(correct)The most liberal GOP candidate wins in a liberal state? You're kidding!!?!?!
North Dakota - Romney
(correct)Remember the north?
Oklahoma - Huckabee
(incorrect, McCain)Another close race; Huckabee got 6 for finishing second, while McCain pulled down 32.
Tennessee - Huckabee
(correct)While this close race fell in Huckabee's "favor," proportional delegate distribution meant that McCain only got 7 less, more than enough to keep Huckabee down.
Utah - Romney
(correct)Mormon capitol of the world.
West Virginia - McCain/Huckabee (my one toss up)
(correct, Huckabee)The Huck won the WV convention early in the day, but according the McCain campaign, only because the latter ordered his supports to vote Huckabee in order to prevent Romney from getting the delegates. Sound strategy on McShamnesty's part, but ironically it turned out that Huckabee was his main competition later on in the evening.
Overall: As predicted, McCain did very well. I hesitate to say he "dominated," but all in all, he's pretty much wrapped up the nomination. The biggest surprise to the media was the success of Huckabee, who stormed to the win in several states, despite being written off for dead weeks ago.
It wasn't a surprise to me, of course; I'm not the liberal media. I expected Huckabee to do well (and I hoped he'd do even better than I expected, if that makes sense). Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the broad appeal at this point. Plus, people are all twitchy about a minister being president. All I get to hear is shrill voices screaming "separation of church and state." It's hilarious how many people don't actually know what that means. It doesn't mean there can be NO religion on government; it means that government shall make no law establishing a national, required religion. Taking The Ten Commandments down from a courthouse is not preserving precious "separation of church and state," it is infringing on freedom of speech.
But I'm digressing; the only way for Romney or Huckabee to win now would be to combine delegates. Since both of them detest the other with a fury only matched by Ted Kennedy's rage when he runs out of booze, there's no chance of that happening.
McCain is going to get the nomination, and hopefully Huckabee can parlay his 2nd place status into something useful (whether it is VP or something else). Personally, I think McCain needs an extremely conservative running mate in order to make his candidacy a little less vomit inducing. Newt Gingrich, maybe, or Duncan Hunter. Just someone that isn't such a RINO.
One day, McCain is going to reach across that aisle one too many times, and he's going to get his arm chopped off.