Team Tancredo announces Iowa Straw Poll talent show

Here is a short video clip of Bay Buchanan announcing an underage talent show event for the Iowa Straw Poll. The winner will get $1,000.

Fred Thompson and the Iowa Straw Poll

Rudy Giuliani and John McCain dissed Iowa and suffered for it in the polls. Fred Thompson has yet to commit to the Iowa Straw Poll in August. If Fred decides to skip Ames will he suffer the same fate? Iowa Republicans and Blogs for Fred Thompson ponder the issue...

Ron Paul Speaks to 1,000 in Iowa

Ron Paul Speaks to 1,000 in Iowa
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2007


DES MOINES, IOWA – Presidential candidate Ron Paul held a rally today celebrating life and liberty at the Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, Iowa. The event was held immediately after and next door to a Republican candidates forum sponsored by the Iowa Christian Alliance and Iowans for Tax Relief.


Dr. Paul was the only GOP candidate excluded from the forum, so his campaign organized an event of its own. Despite being planned in less than a week, Dr. Paul's event singlehandedly outdrew the other forum and its six participating candidates by several hundred attendees.


"Today, Ron Paul demonstrated how deeply his message of freedom and limited government is resonating across the nation," said campaign manager Lew Moore.


Dr. Paul, addressing a packed room, received thunderous applause many times and as well as several standing ovations. Observers believe that this event was the biggest rally for a Republican candidate in Iowa during this campaign cycle.


"Ron Paul has generated more grassroots excitement and support than any other candidate in the race," continued Moore. "The campaign is building on this momentum around the country as we drive toward the nomination."

John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani total 4.7% in Linn County Straw Poll

Here are the results from the Linn County GOP Straw Poll. These results were mailed to me, upon my request, by Janet Johnson of the Linn County GOP. Linn County is the second largest county in Iowa, so if this is an indication of things to come for the Ames Straw Poll then it should be a very interesting event. Congratulations to presidential candidates Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, John Cox and Ron Paul for exceeding expectations and performing well in this Iowa poll.


Tommy Thompson
33.1%
Sam Brownback
30.4%
Tom Tancredo
15.5%
Mitt Romney
4.7%
John Cox
4.1%
Ron-Paul
3.4%
Fred Thompson
2.7%
Rudy Giuliani
2.0%
Daniel Gilbert
2.0%
Duncan Hunter
1.4%
Mike Huckabee
0.7%
John McCain
0.0%
Hugh Cort
0.0%

Tommy Thompson Wins Linn County Straw Poll

Tommy Thompson defeated Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo and other Republican candidates in the Linn County Straw Poll held on Saturday, June 23rd at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mr. Thompson won the poll with 33% of the vote.

Linn County is the second largest county in Iowa and Thompson focusing his efforts on Iowa more than any other candidate.

In other news, supporters for several candidates made themselves useful at the Freedom Festival in Cedar Rapids on Saturday. While browsing the crowd I saw noticeable support for John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and Barack Obama for the Democrats, as well as Tom Thompson, Sam Brownback and Ron Paul for the Republicans.

Iowans largely undecided on Republican candidates

The WCF Courier reported on a poll asking which candidate a person would support if they attend the Ames Iowa Straw Poll. Mitt Romney won, but a large number of Iowans are undecided as to which candidate they would vote for.


Romney - 28.4%
F Thompson - 18.3%
Giuliani - 6.9%
McCain - 6.2%
Tancredo - 4.8%
Huckabee - 4.1%
Brownback - 3.1%
T Thompson - 2.5%
Paul - 2.0%
Hunter - 0.8%
Cox - 0.8%
Undecided - 21%

McCain's Support Drops Among Iowa Republicans

Once viewed as a front-runner, he's now in single digits.

"Former presidential advisor David Gergen thinks he knows why. "Obviously his stand on the war as well as his stand on immigration -- both of those have caused him unhappiness in different parts of the Republican party."

"Beyond that, he's a very different candidate now. Sadly, tragically, I think his years as a prisoner of war may be catching up with him maybe in terms of his age."

Ouch, did he just imply that John McCain is crazy? I think that Giuliani and McCain dropped in Iowa polls from a combination of their stances on the key issues and their decision to skip the Iowa Straw Poll.

Giuliani admits that skipping Iowa Straw Poll may hurt his chances

When Rudy Giuliani was speaking recently about his drop in Iowa polls, he said, "I'm sure some people will be concerned by it. I'm sure some people will be affected by it. It may have something to do with the poll. But as we campaign here they will understand we are very committed to getting votes from people in Iowa."

Giuliani and John McCain both took a sharp percentage drop among Iowa voters after announcing that they would not participate at the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames.

Muscatine Journal: Muscatine-based Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance group blocks Ron Paul from presidential forum

I found this article from the Muscatine Journal which reaches out to the local crowd about the exclusion of Ron Paul from the upcoming Iowans for Tax Relief debate. This topic has been the subject of much debate across the Internet as Ron Paul supporters are upset that their candidate was not, and will not be, invited.


Reports are surfacing that fans of Dr. Paul have been flooding the phones for at least two of the organizations co-sponsoring the debate; Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance. It has also been noted that one of the individuals involved in blocking Paul, Ed Failor, is a Senior Advisor for the McCain campaign.


Paul’s campaign manager Lew Moore contacted Iowans for Tax Relief’s executive vice president, Ed Failor Jr. of Muscatine, on Tuesday to see whether the campaign had misplaced or overlooked an invitation.


“To our shock, Mr. Failor told us Dr. Paul was not invited; he was not going to be invited; and he would not be allowed to participate. And when asked why, Mr. Failor refused to explain. The call ended,” Snyder wrote in a post on Paul’s campaign Web site.


Failor could not be reached by the Muscatine Journal Wednesday for comment, and a message left at his office was not immediately returned."

McCain drops to single digits in Iowa

Since announcing that he would not attend the Iowa Straw Poll, John McCain has taken a sharp fall in popularity among Iowans. Recent poll numbers by Mason-Dixon, released after Mr. McCain announced his lack of participation, show him in single digits for the state.

Counter-terrorism conference in Des Moines prior to Iowa Straw Poll

It appears as if there will be a Counter-terrorism conference at the Marriot in Des Moines the night before the Iowa Straw Poll, for any out there who may want to attend. Thanks to Cyclone Conservatives for gettin' the scoop in an interview with Dr. Hugh Cort, candidate for president. Below are a few excerpts of the interview with Dr. Cort, a man who seems to speak his mind.


"I am the only candidate who realizes we must stop abortion and homosexual marriage in order to get America back to God, and if we don't, we will not get God's blessing and we will suffer terrible defeat at the hands of the Islamo-terrorists.


You can see I want to stop abortion and homosexual marriage. Not even Sodom and Gomorrah had the nerve to call the homosexual relationship "marriage" and look what happened to them!


I will see you all again in Des Moines Thursday Aug. 2 at 6:30 PM at a house party the Iowa Christian Alliance is giving me (please contact the Iowa Christian Alliance for more information), and then I'll see you again at the Iowa Straw Poll! We are planning to have a Counter-Terrorism Conference at the Des Moines Marriot at 7 PM on Friday, August 10, the evening before the Straw Poll. Attendence is free, but please RSVP by contacting us at www.cortforpresident.com in order to get a seat!"

Giuliani stops in Des Moines, dismisses Iowa Straw Poll criticism - August 11th in history

Rudy Giuliani was in Des Moines, Iowa to detail his ideas for cutting federal government waste but questions after his speech focused on his lack of 'financial participation' in the Iowa Straw Poll.


"I'm here in Iowa because I know how important Iowa is," Giuliani said. "Iowa voters are common sense voters. That's kind of the way I govern and kind of the way I look at things."


The Iowa Republican Party relies on funds raised from the Iowa Straw Poll to finance its activities throughout the year and Mr. Giuliani has come under some fire for his decision not to participate. It remains to be seen whether the absence of John McCain and Rudy Giuliani will have a large impact on the bottom line or whether increased support for other candidates can make up the difference.


Iowans donated a total of $8,550 to Rudy in the first quarter of fundraising. That number placed him second behind Mitt Romney who raised nearly $40k.


In comparison, lesser-known candidate Ron Paul tallied a grand total of $450 from Iowans, the least of any GOP candidate. Paul is expected to hit Iowa hard in the week leading up to the Ames event despite the lack of funds provided by Iowans to his campaign. Will he be able to make an impact in the polls? His support at sites like Meetup.com grew dramatically in the weeks after the debates, which were held after first-quarter fundraising.


Sam Brownback and Tommy Thompson have been making a push to gain the trust of Iowa voters recently but word on the street is that they aren't snagging any new attention. Iowa still has its base of social conservatives but as a whole the political landscape is much different than in years past.


With the added attention given to it by the media and majority of candidates, the straw poll on August 11th in Ames looks like it is shaping up to be a controversial, highly-publicized event. Let's hope for some good weather.


August 11th in history...
-On this date in the proleptic Gregorian calendar begins our current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar

-The First Temple (originally built by King Solomon) is destroyed by the Babylonians in Jerusalem.

-Spartan hoplites under Leonidas I, along with Thespians under Demophilus, fought to the last man in the Battle of Thermopyle, losing to a large Persian invasion force led by Xerxes I.

-The Second Temple is destroyed by the Roman army in Jerusalem.

-Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.

- Vietnam War: The last United States ground combat unit depart South Vietnam

-United States President Ronald Reagan, during a voice check for a radio broadcast remarks "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes".

-Alan Greenspan becomes Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve.

-The Mall of America, the biggest shopping mall in the country, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.

-1999, A total solar eclipse visible from Europe and Asia.

-The exceptional Salt Lake City Tornado tears through the downtown district of the city.

-NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.

Iowa Straw Poll discussion at Daily Kos

I've usually been looking at Iowa Straw Poll news from more conservative sources, so it's interesting to see what is being discussed about the event over at Daily Kos.


"What should be signaled is not that the straw poll is less worthy than in years past, but that both Rudy and McCain are unwilling to pop the media bubble and enter a contest where they aren't assured of victory. Too bad they don't take that same attitude before risking the troops."


"Seeing the Republicans head into the primaries with divided strategies, underfunded state operations, and a "you can't lose if you don't play" attitude, is like watching boxcars jockey for position in a train wreck. Campaigns are already talking about a skip Iowa and Nevada and New Hampshire strategy, to focus on the cluster of big states. Sure. You do that."


"Perhaps the most honest thing the Republicans could do at this point really is to just forget the primaries and let W drop a tiara on Prince Freddy's pate. Then they can all forget this listening to the voters thing and go back to being Republicans."

Mason-Dixon Iowa GOP poll results

New Mason-Dixon Iowa Poll


Republicans

Romney 25 (no trend available)

F. Thompson 17

Giuliani 15

Huckabee 7

McCain 6

Brownback 6

T. Thompson 2

Undecided 21

FairTax sponsored Iowa debate won't let Ron Paul participate?

I was browsing the news for Iowa polls and ran across this piece which says that Iowans for Tax Relief and Iowa Christian Alliance will not let Ron Paul participate in their upcoming event which is being co-sponsored by FairTax.org. The information was apparently obtained by an email from the Ron Paul campaign.


Ron Paul recently placed second in a straw poll released by the National Taxpayers Union. The NTU conference was co-organized with Iowans for Tax Relief and, given his record of never voting to raise taxes, his exclusion does seem a bit odd.


Ron Paul fans gained some notoriety recently for flooding the phone banks in order to stop Saul Anuzis from circulating a petition to keep Dr. Paul out of future debates. Will they go to work to ensure he is included in this one?

Brownback launches bus tour through Iowa

Hoping to spread his message to Iowans before the straw poll in Ames, Sam Brownback has launched a four-day, 27-stop bus tour through Iowa. "I'm a full-scale economic and social conservative -- I am a bleeding heart conservative, if you will," Brownback said.

If the Iowa Caucuses were held today, whom would you support?

Cyclone Conservatives has a poll posted asking which candidate you'd support if the Iowa caucuses were held today. Head on over and cast your vote.

Iowa Motto: "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain"

I just wanted to serve a little reminder to the public and possible presidential candidates about the state motto of Iowa. "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain."


It's something for GOP candidates to keep in mind when aligning their p's and q's for the upcoming Iowa Straw Poll in Ames.


Candidates that will be attending are Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Tommy Thompson, John Cox and Duncan Hunter. Fred Thompson is rumored to be in talks with the Iowa Republican Party about his possible participation. Newt Gingrich is attending the poll but is not on the ballot. John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Jim Gilmore have declined to participate.

Giuliani, McCain absence to have little effect on Iowa Straw Poll

There are mixed reactions as to how the absence of dwindling presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and John McCain from the Iowa Straw Poll will affect turnout and prominence of the poll.


"It's a signal for the Iowa Republican Party to say we can't hold together our largest fundraiser," said former state GOP finance chairwoman Diane Crookham Johnson of Oskaloosa. "I think Fred Thompson is going to be a big signal. If he decides he doesn't need to be in it, it's probably the end of it."


No Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani or John McCain in attendance equals the end of the Iowa Straw Poll? "As far as the bottom line, no, it doesn't really affect it," says Chuck Laudner, the executive director of the Iowa Republican Party.


Many are expecting a lower turnout this year than in years past, but all major television stations have committed to covering the event, special-interest groups like the NRA are planning to attend and so in former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who is posturing for his own presidential run. There is also increased interest in lesser-known candidates such as Mike Huckabee, Tommy Thompson, Ron Paul and Sam Brownback, some of which have been using Internet sites like Meetup.com to organize groups to attend the Ames straw poll.

Iowa Republicans want out of Iraq. Will it affect the Iowa Straw Poll?

A recent poll by Strategic Vision showed that 54% of likely Iowa Republican Caucus goers want out of Iraq by November. Only 37% would like to stay.


What effects, if any, do you think this will have on the Iowa Straw Poll? That same poll showed that, despite the growing anti-Iraq War sentiment all but 14% of would still probably vote for a pro-war candidate. Anti-Iraq war candidate Ron Paul got only 2%. Is there a chance of Ron Paul placing higher at the poll in Ames after his online presence and debate performances have helped him gain more recognition since the May data from Strategic Vision?


It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Right now, Romney is still the clear favorite to win the Iowa Straw Poll.

Fred Thompson considering Iowa Straw Poll

Fred Thompson has been in talks recently with Iowa Republicans about the possibility of his participation in the upcoming Iowa Straw Poll in Ames. His participation would be welcomed by Iowans who have voiced displeasure over recent snubs by Giuliani, McCain and Gilmore.


Aides to Fred Thompson, the actor-politician considered a likely presidential candidate, have had repeated conversations with Iowa Republicans about him possibly competing in the straw poll in August.


"They want to know what it's going to look like, how the voting works, the logistics of it and how the program works in general," said Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa. More...

Romney Uses Organization, Advertising To Build Lead In Early Voting States

Candidates like Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback and maybe even Ron Paul stand to gain some ground since Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have declined to participate in the Iowa Straw Poll. Romney will have the easiest time organizing support at the event since he will have more money than all other attending candidates combined.


Romney Uses Organization, Advertising To Build Lead In Early Voting States


Slowly, methodically, the Republican presidential contender has seized the advantage in the early states that count, relying on a solid organization, $4 million in advertising and an aggressive approach.


It's propelled him to the top of polls in the caucus and primary sites of Iowa and New Hampshire, and laid the foundation for what some analysts argue is greater success.


"Mitt Romney is now positioned as the front-runner for the nomination,'' said Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. ``There's a long way to go, but to date he's running the most logical, thought-out, structured campaign. He's marching in the right cadence, he's raising the money, he's spending it wiser and he seems to be on track.''

Guiliani, McCain both about to be edged out of race for skipping Iowa Straw Poll

Column: Guiliani, McCain both about to be edged out of race


Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani have both dropped out of the August straw vote in Iowa. The straw vote is essentially a test of a candidate's early strength. It's non-binding so it doesn't really count -- but it is an important gauge in determining how well they are situated going into the January caucus.


By opting not to participate in the straw vote, McCain and Guiliani are effectively handing the contest to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who will be participating in the early contest. And that is significant for a couple of reasons.


The first is money. The straw vote requires a strong field organization and that takes money. Romney has it, McCain doesn't, and Guiliani apparently isn't interested in spending that much at this point.


The second reason is the potential that can be gained by a strong showing in the straw vote. There are still a lot of Republicans out there who are not overly excited by any of the top three contenders. Depending on how strong a showing Romney makes in the contest, some of those undecideds might be inclined to take a closer look at his candidacy. Not to mention some of the Iowa Republicans who might take issue with McCain and Guiliani's decision not to play, and decide maybe Romney is the guy they'll back come January.


However, one can expect both the McCain and Guiliani camps will dismiss the results by claiming the only reason Romney did as well as he did was because they opted not to play, thus it won't be a "fair" representation of how the January caucus vote will play out later. More...


Candidates that show up will definitely be seen better in the eyes of many Iowans.

Two Republicans Join Iowa Straw Poll Despite Big Names Bowing Out

Two Republicans Join Iowa Straw Poll Despite Big Names Bowing Out


Republican presidential hopefuls former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson say they will participate in the August 11 Ames straw poll.


The poll, which has usually been a good indicator for how well Republican candidates will fare in the Iowa caucus, suffered a setback when former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) both said they would not participate.


However, the lesser known candidates like former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO), among others will compete in the Ames poll. More...


Lesser known Mitt Romney?