Here at the Huckabee camp, the crowd has almost tripled in size in a 15-minute span. About a half hour ago, the major news networks declared the former Arkansas governor the winner, and the supporters have been steadily pouring in to hear Huckabee speak.

Todd Hertzberg, a Huckabee supporter from Arkansas who was one of the first to arrive to the event at 7 p.m., said the strong finish can be attributed to the massive amount of volunteer support.

"You always like to get ahead in something like this," said Hertzberg. "The downtown office has just been amazing the last few days making phone calls, and it looks like it is paying off."

Another out-of-state Huckabee volunteer, Lewis Gander from Wisconsin, also said the victory here tonight could be attributed to the work of Huckabee's loyal supporters.

"I have personally made over 1,000 calls in the last few days," said Gander. "I got nothing but great responses from everybody I talked to, so I knew he was going to do truly great."

Right before the major news networks declared Huckabee the winner, Chip Saltzman, one of the chairs of the Huckabee campaign, took an indirect swipe at 2nd place finisher Mitt Romney.

"The numbers are looking good. Message matters, you cannot buy this election in Iowa," said Saltzman.

Currently, the crowd continues to grow with chants of "We like Mike" filling the air.

Labels: Republicans