E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Updated 1:42 p.m. — A major staple of the Republican presidential nominating process -- the straw poll of Republicans at the Iowa State University in Ames -- could go by the wayside if Iowa's GOP governor gets his way.
Gov. Terry Branstad, who's currently serving his fifth term as governor of the Hawkeye State, told the Wall Street Journal that the straw poll was no longer relevant.
© Brian Frank / Reuters / REUTERS
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad speaks as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack looks on during a news conference at the Iowa State Capitol March 28, 2012.
"I think the straw poll has outlived its usefulness,"Branstad told the paper. "It has been a great fundraiser for the party but I think its days are over."
The governor's comments earned a rebuke from the chairman of the state Republican party.
"I believe the Iowa Straw Poll is possibly the best way for a presidential campaign to organize (put in place county and precinct leaders & activate them) for Iowa’s First in the Nation Caucus," said A.J. Spiker, the party chairman. "I think it is detrimental for any campaign to skip the opportunity presented in Ames and I disagree with Governor Branstad about ending our Iowa Straw Poll."
Ronda Churchill / AP
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, left, Indiana Gov.-Elect Mike Pence, center, and Republican Governors Association Chairman and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell participate in the RGA Annual Conference on Nov. 15, 2012, in Las Vegas.
The straw poll has more often offered a glimpse of candidates' organizational strength in Iowa, which traditionally hosts the first nominating contest in a presidential contest, than a good predictor of the nominee. Candidates often spend thousands (if not more) on courting votes in the straw poll, hosting elaborate barbecues and musical acts in hopes of emerging from the event with a burst of strength.
But the winner hasn't always gone onto the nomination. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won the straw poll this summer, earning a boomlet for her longshot bid for the nomination that fizzled weeks thereafter. Mitt Romney, the eventual Republican presidential nominee, didn't participate in the straw poll (though he stopped at the state fair during the same weekend); he lost the Iowa caucuses to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum by just a few votes, despite not having campaigned in the state.
NBC's Domenico Montanaro breaks down the history of presidents pardoning turkeys at The White House and looks at the future of the Ames Straw Poll and some comments Sen. Marco Rubio made to GQ Magazine.
"You saw what happened the last time," Branstad told the Journal. "I don’t think candidates will spend the time or money to participate in a straw poll if they don’t see any real benefit coming out of it."
The event was consequential -- in a negative way -- for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who had been thought to be a major contender versus Romney for the GOP nomination. But after Pawlenty's campaign bet almost all of its chips on the Ames event, he ended his bid for the presidency.
Still, the event is a major fundraiser for the Iowa GOP, and future candidates looking to add some momentum to their own campaigns might elect to participate anyway in the straw poll, a bit of presidential pageantry dating back to the 1980 election.
Leave a Comment:
America is a nation of moderation and the GOP is a party of Rightwing extremists! Leave the "dark side". Moderates rule!
Observations of a former Iowan.
First, Terry (Braindead) Branstad was run out of the Governor's office about 13years ago. He gained political credit as Robert D. Ray's (Progressive moderate Republican) Lt. Governor. As soon as Branstad became Governor, he revealed his NeoCon roots, cutting virtually all state spending and embracing radical religous policies. But oddly, received a "NO" from the TEA Party in 2010 (he raised taxes, created a "stated-owned phone system", and increased the size of state government) and accusations that the financial gains of the state finances between 1983 and 1999 were largely fiction by the State Auditor (recognizing future revenues to pay current debts and failing to actually pay in a timely fashion).
The biggest problem with the straw-poll is that it has changed from a legitimate forum into a vote-buying auction. Who supplies the best entertainers, the best souveniers, the best food, and the best actual cash for ballots. The last Poll was evidence of this as Michelle Bachmann won, not the basis of her Iowa roots, knowledge or policies; but on the amount of money she spent to buy the Poll. That might explain why the final candidate Mitt Romney (the calculating businessman) didn't really compete and after a number of gaffs, why Michelle Bachmann (the TEA Party favorite) ran out of money and had to drop out after about a month of real competition.
How to fix this problem? First, all entertainment and food service should be provided by the state Republican party. Part of this could be financed by charging each potential candidate a small ($1000) participation fee (Last year, they were spending $100k). Second, identical sized tents should be provided for each candidate. Hand-outs ought to be limited paper or plastic hats, position statements, and personalized pens. And finally, each voter pays their own $5 entry fee (the other income strean to the party) and NO other cash allowed. Limit donation solicitations to a single sheet of instructions as to how to donate AFTER the poll. Unfortunately the voter fee may have to be increased to $8-10, since Terry has forgotten that this is also a fund raiser for the state party, to provide funds for lower level candidates (some Legislators, county and city candidates).
You mean GOP candidates buy votes? Deah me, I think I'm havin' the vapors! Of course the straw poll is a dog and pony show and has been for a while. The really pathetic thing is the mentally challenged Bachmann thought she had any chance of anything except helping her " husband" into her dresses. Remember, she prayed to God and he told her to run.
This is now a far left leaning country and looking more like Europe every day! The cover up like Libya, Fast and Furious, ACORN, the bailouts, payouts and paybacks to unions demonstrates total corruption at the highest postitions in the land to include the White House, the Department of Justice and many other agencies is evident!
In fact it is looking more and more like communism as well as the people are lied to and not provided any transparency into their government! They are stonewalled at every step and never get the truth because the government is in total control and the people are becoming less important in the democratic process.
The recent election demonstrates the majority of Americans re-elected Obama because of they are needing the government to provide things to them. The need for jobs and a better economy was not placed high on their list to re-elect him. They could care less because they will want more handouts until we run so far in debt we will be like Greece and people will then attempt anarchy to get what they want!
There will be riots and people will demand they get their freebees or else. Of course there will be no money left and the government will not be able to deliver. This is exactly what Obozo wanted all along. This is his goal!
He has total distain for a free society and although he may give you the impression and the BS to try and snow you, he his hellbent on destroying one of the greatest countries ever! It is unfortunate the majority of the handout crowd is so ignorant and can not see the plan!
Good luck for the next 4 years you are going to need it!!
The republicans are looking for the reason they've lost to president obama ??? let me help you guys , first thing , drop MORONI , and turn back to JESUS CHRIST !!! drop the GREED , drop the LYING , drop the HIPOCRICY , drop the SELFISHNESS , drop the SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS , drop the WELFARE ENTITLEMENT FOR THE RICH , drop the ARROGANCE , drop the OFFSHORE TAX DODGING , drop the OBSTUCTIONIST. IN OTHER WORDS , '' DROP THE TEA PARTY '' , AND IT WILL GIVE YA'LL A FIGHTING CHANCE !!!!!!!
Rick -
YOU LOST! Get over it.
Your state voted Yes on Marijuana and Romney - need I say more?
Oh, your staying? There's a bus to Gingrichstan leaving hourly. You and he have lots to talk about. Sounds like you both are utterly clueless. Yes, they have Rush and FOX there so you can all keep each other happy in Delusionville. The area code is 714( that's an '80's allusion) Lots of vanilla ice cream and funnel cakes. Lithium at 10,2 and 4. Beans and rice enemas at 8:30. Sleep well.
Rick, go and smoke another joint, you probably need it.
Rick,
Give it a freaking rest. Your guy lost, as about 50% more of the EV went to Obama than Romney. Get over yourself, and start to be part of the solution for your broken GOP party...not part of the problem.
Rick just demonstrated the very reasons the Republicans lost:
Crazy tinfoil hat paranoid views. Yeah right. The black president is a secret commie hellbent on destroying America.
Do you even realize how crazy you sound?
@Rick Colo oh please thats crap, the so called job creators have had ten years of the lowest tax rates in over half a century, and they have created nothing but bigger bank accounts and profits for themselves...further more I live in NYC...I'm originally from Mississippi....New Yorkers by far outwork southerners....I left sold Everything I had and moved here two years ago and Immediately became better off job, apt, money etc.....Mississippi and many other red states take in more federal dollars than blue ones....the real redistribution of wealth is from blue states to red states.....IE your argument is crap!...Also I graduated high school In 2001 and I saw first hand how republican policies decimated rural mississippians and then I began living around the country and I saw republican policy crapping all over everyone...some of the people getting crapped on were repubs(go figure)...I saw wages fall, the rich get richer, unpaid for wars and unpaid for medicare part b, and then obama comes along and says hey we have to put those things on the books aka :count them as apart of the national debt something the previous administration refused to do....jobs that used to pay 15 dollars per hour were now paying 8, and on and on...its basic common sense to most americans we were not going to vote for the party that decimated us, hinders the government process, hinders the voting process, rewards the rich and makes the middle class pay for it, we were not going to vote for a pary that introduced over a thousand pieces of legislation on abortion and voter restriction laws, and no feasible jobs bill...I could go on for an hour
With Michelle Bachman winning the last straw poll - you bet it's irrelevant!
GOP is dead and out of touch and too chummy with the whacko-nutjob teabaggers!
Rove, Kock & Adelson proved even the wealthy elitists can't buy elections.
Time for a lot more election reforms!
Soution to all you "angry" Rightwingers/Teabaggers: leave my country! Mexico might take you!
No, don't take the "straw" away they need the "chaff" they extract from the farmers.
They just want to take the away the opportunity for pictures to be taken of their candidates deepthroating a corndog.
LMAO--You owe me a laptop..lol.
I LIKE this page! There's Michelle Bachmann's name and a picture of a turkey underneath! Cool!
Right wing boneheads, here is a clue about why you lost: fetuses don't vote.
PTI,
RNG meeting in Las Vegas. Las Vegas = sin city. 'What happens here stays here'. What irony.
You dems are all about as smart as buying a box of rocks sold on black friday. Why don't you all go to some gender neutral dance or find some peta save the chicken parties to attend. He said the iowa straw poll was a waste of money not the end of conservative party. Get a life. Maybe you oughta go find some obama chicken wing party to attend or some other function of your iQ level...Somewhere between idiot and stupid.
jolly joker,
Your irrelevant post says it all about why Romney didn't win. With uninformed posters like you, it's all clear to the rest of us.
There are many, many aspects of the GOP, that are simply, "No longer relevant"
""Gov. Terry Branstad, who's currently serving his fifth term as governor of the Hawkeye State, told the Wall Street Journal that the straw poll was no longer relevant.""
The repubs wanna know why they lost......Yeah well, judging from that picture, they look like the three stooges trying to decide which sock to put on first.
Lots of GOP uninformed posters out here tonight, still stung about how they lost the 2012 Election sooooo badly.
Why not just go lick your gaping oozing wounds, and figure what you did wrong? That should take you easily into 2016.
End all tea bagger god sucking strw men. Losers
Oh, gee....sorry to see this totally irrelevant political event go! Not...... Now I have to wonder where the GOP clown car will start filling up? Where will the lunatics begin to surface? Where will the religious wingnuts start their next war on women and evolution? When will all the white people surface to tell the nation the new percentages that are sapping the resources of the country?!! Yeah, will miss the straw polls, the early indicators of just how far off track the GOP will choose to remain!!
Ya' know, it would really help if they didn't let all the clowns out on the stage. (Palin, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Trump, and all the rest.)
That's all they've got are clowns, crooks, and religious nut jobs.
It's a little known fact that the candidate who wins the Iowa straw poll has almost always gone on to become an idiot.....( Cliff Clavin-1995)
Ron Paul wins it, the GOP can't handle it, now they want to do away with it. The GOP is doomed to failure.
The ony thing Iowa has ever picked is "CORN"...not presidents, so if they want to waste their money on foolishness, then so let it be...
As far as the straw poll in Iowa, it should be dropped. The Democrats own Iowa anyway, so the GOP should not give it much attention.
POLLS are RIGGED and are just persuasion getters for the BRAINWASHED MORONS!!! They should ALL be outlawed.
except for nate silver's poll who seems to always get it right !
OMG, you can't do this!! This is the only contest a Wacko Tea Bagger like Michele Bachman can win!! They are going to drive Marcus Bachman back to dating Men!!!!
Laughs!
Yes, it should end. No one cares about it. I am from MN and its never talked about. Even my friends from Iowa think its dumb. But they are from IOWA, so go figure.
A quote from my chrismatic grandmother, "NEVER EVER trust a man with a MUSTACHE"! Especially a Republican corporate MONARCHY political puppet governor!