AMES -- The instant analysis would seem to show two very clear winners: Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. The two former governors took 31.5% and 18.1% respectively, and both are spinning the poll as nothing but a complete win.

For Romney, who occupied the same tent space George W. Bush did in 1999 and duplicated his results almost identically, the results were a vindication of the high expectations placed on his campaign. For Huckabee, the second-place win came after having spent little money and organizing much less than Romney, Senator Sam Brownback and others.

"The momentum was with us," said Huckabee. "For us, it's really that we overperformed." Huckabee didn't miss a beat in taking over the mantle of challenging Romney. "I think if you look at those, even above us or below us, there was a lot who underperformed," he said.

Brownback, who finished about 400 votes and 3% behind Huckabee, maintained a happy outlook. "The results today are this is a ticket to the caucuses," he said. "Iowa's a field of dreams ... and I've still got the dream."

Fighting for largely the same voters, Huckabee and Brownback's campaigns sparred frequently during the weeks leading up to the straw poll. But, with their results combining for a larger percentage of the vote than Romney's, Brownback said he -- and by extension, Huckabee -- had room to grow, while Romney may not.

The clear loser tonight was former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson. While predicting a win or second place finish, Thompson came in a lowly sixth. "It's safe to say it'll be difficult for us to continue," said a campaign spokesman, indicating that he had spoken with the governor after the results came out.

More analysis in the morning.