Santorum himself came in second in Saturday's poll of attendees at the much watched Conservative Political Action Conference, with 31% of the vote compared to 38% for the former Massachusetts governor.
Romney wins prized straw poll at conservative gathering
Romney's campaign released a statement after the Maine results were announced early Saturday evening, thanking the state's voters and continuing to tout his conservative principles as he had at the Washington conference.
"We stand for conservative principles, liberty and prosperity. All of these are under threat. I'm in this race because I believe that America can be turned around, that we don't have to accept unemployment over 8%, a national debt that is as large as our entire economy, and a president who, even as his own policies fail, apologizes for America's past successes," the statement read.
"We've had enough. It's time to reverse Barack Obama's legacy of domestic disarray and foreign-policy weakness," it added.
For Paul, the 3-point margin in Maine was the closest he has come to victory in the 2012 campaign. Still, he's 0-for-9 in the campaign so far as the only one of four GOP contenders not to win a state.
"Just remember, the revolution is only beginning," Paul told cheering supporters after the results were announced. "The momentum is going to continue, we're not going away. We're going to be in all these places where we're going to pick up, continue to pick up the delegates, for one good reason -- we have the message that America needs at this particular time."
He has said his strategy is to compete in states like Maine, where he can be competitive, and gather up delegates while bypassing others to save time and money. Ultimately, he says, that will keep him in the race until the Republican National Convention in August.
