Huckabee Wins W.Va.

Defecting John McCain - and Ron Paul - voters proved key for Huckabee's win -- to the consternation of the Romney campaign.

The Associated Press has the story, and remains on the convention floor.

Update: Several top McCain supporters announced plans to bolster Huckabee's numbers immediately after the first balloting ended inconclusively. They continued urging their peers to follow suit during the one-hour lunch break. As delegates re-entered the convention hall, volunteers greeted them with signs telling McCain's bloc to back Huckabee.

AP reported on what ensued during the second round of voting:

As Huckabee's margin became clear, some Romney supporters angrily confronted McCain backers. One called McCain campaign adviser Gary Abernathy "slimy," and compared him with departed West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez.

"Grow up," Abernathy replied.

Romney campaign manager Beth Myers later issued a statement blasting the McCain tactic. "Unfortunately, this is what Sen. McCain's inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Gov. Romney's campaign of conservative change," she said.

But McCain's West Virginia campaign chief, Larry Swann, noted to AP that unlike Huckabee, Romney had attacked his candidate in his convention speech.

"McCain voters may have been motivated to prevent Romney from getting momentum early in the day," AP reported.

Update II: Huckabee responds, telling AP "There was no backroom deal. There wasn't even a frontroom deal. There was no deal."

The convention attracted press from West Virginia and beyond, with the ranks swelling while the candidates were on hand. Coverage can be found at The Charleston Gazette, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, MetroNews (with audio), and WSAZ-TV (with video) as well as The Politico and even The Wall Street Journal.