Thursday, January 15, 2015

Iowa Republicans Vote in Favor of Keeping Annual Presidential Straw Poll

State Republican party leaders voted unanimously Saturday in favor of keeping their annual presidential straw poll, defeating critics who said the summer tradition attracts only fringe contenders while keeping away mainstream candidates.
The vote by the Republican Party Central Committee was 16 yeas to 0 nays.
Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said he was pleased with the outcome of the vote, after saying earlier in the week that he had a “hunch” that members would vote as such.
FILE: Aug. 13, 2011: Republicans enter Hilton Coliseum before 
casting their ballots in the Iowa Republican Part's straw poll, in 
Ames, Iowa. (AP)
“I knew in the end we would circle the wagons. We have a unified party at this point,” he said. “This was about making sure the (Republican National Committee) is comfortable about what we’re doing.”
The event will be held in August. Kaufmann said the exact date and location will be decided “within weeks, not months.”
[...]
Michele Bachmann was the last to win it in 2011
First conducted in 1979, the Iowa straw poll has grown from a county GOP fundraiser stop to a large event on the Iowa State University campus, where candidates spend heavily to entertain supporters.
The poll has been a lackluster predictor of who will win the GOP nomination. Its winners in 1979 (George H.W. Bush), 1987 (Pat Robertson), 2007 (Mitt Romney) and 2011 (Michele Bachmann) did not win the nomination. Only twice — in 1995 (Bob Dole, who tied with Phil Gramm) and 1999 (George W. Bush) — did the straw poll winner go on to win the GOP nomination.
Read the full story HERE.

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