The excitement of the 2008 Presidential race swooped down on Middletown last weekend, as partisan voters and dignitaries flocked here from across the state to participate in a straw poll. Most of the votes were cast online prior to the event, which was marked by speakers battling for their respective candidates. The poll yielded some surprising as well as unsurprising results.

In Friday’s Republican contest, out of 382 votes, Mitt Romney received 35.6 percent, John McCain 27.2 percent, Ron Paul 25.1 percent, and Rudy Giuliani 8.9 percent. In the debate, Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano argued his case for Giuliani, before ultimately admitting that any of the Republican candidates would be better than the Democrats. Former Massachusetts Govenor Jane Swift, on the other hand, threw her support behind John McCain.

A Ron Paul hot air balloon was also in attendance.

On Saturday, votes were extended to candidates from all parties. With around 75 people in attendance, including Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, three ballots were cast. Ron Paul won all three, beating Hillary Clinton 42 percent to 30 percent, 42 percent to 32 percent, and 46 percent to 42 percent. Barack Obama received around 20 percent in two of the ballots.