Romney wins Republican Iowa poll

Mr Romney invested millions in the Iowa campaign

Mitt Romney has topped a straw poll of Republican US presidential hopefuls in Iowa, winning almost twice as many votes as his nearest rival.

The Massachusetts ex-governor had been widely tipped to win the informal vote, held in the town of Ames.

But his top rivals, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, did not attend the event.

The poll, attended by tens of thousands of Iowa Republicans, could help determine who will be the party's White House candidate next year.

Mr Romney won 4,416 votes, ahead of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who came second with 2,587 votes.

Senator Sam Brownback was close behind with 2,192 votes.

Lame ducks?

Correspondents say the poll could force weaker candidates to drop out.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, who finished sixth with 1,039 votes, had said in advance that if he did not finish in the top two his campaign was not likely to progress - though as yet he has not made any comment on the results.

Mr Romney and his rivals rented hundreds of buses to take their supporters to the high profile event, at the Iowa State University campus.

"It's a great way to measure who are the folks that have the character and vision and the organisation and the fundraising capacity, all the elements it takes to win the presidency," Mr Romney said of the event in a video on his campaign website.

But Mr Giuliani and Senator McCain decided not to take part in the event, in which candidates can spend several million dollars on transport and tickets.

Actor and former senator Fred Thompson, who has not yet formally launched his campaign, was also unable to participate.