Dixville Notch ties for Romney, Huntsman in first GOP primary vote

Dixville Notch, one of New Hampshire's smallest towns, voted just after midnight on Tuesday in the first primary of the day in the first primary state in the nation. The final tally: two for front runner Mitt Romney, two for Jon Huntsman, and one each for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Rick Santorum and Rick Perry each received zero votes, the Associated press reported.

The Democratic primary, which will also take place in New Hampshire Tuesday, resulted in three out of three votes for President Obama, resulting in nine total ballots cast. Voting completed shortly after midnight.

While the small voting population is not often representative, some residents of Dixville Notch boast that their tiny town has called the state in the past. Few recent elections have resulted in a tie, but it accurately predicted the eventual nominee in the past few Republican primaries.

Aside from front runner Mitt Romney, all other major candidates saw their poll numbers surge and then crash at some point in the lead up to the primary. Huntsman's numbers ticked upward over the past week for the first time.

The AP reported that Huntsman has bet his entire candidacy on New Hampshire, and that while Romney's poll numbers are good, Huntsman may have strength with independents:

Notoriously late to decide and difficult to poll, roughly 4 in 10 of the state's voters are not registered with any party. And election law gives them a prominent role in Tuesday's presidential primary. Huntsman has been unsuccessful in his months-long appeal to traditional conservatives and recently shifted strategy to make an aggressive play for independents.