Events 2007

Republican Party’s straw poll raises funds, political profiles

Presidential Campaign Pageantry Begins in Iowa

August 27, 2007

Politics come to Iowa in a big way each summer before an American presidential election year. The show begins with the Ames Straw Poll, a fundraising event that gathers Republican presidential hopefuls at Iowa State University's Ames campus.

Republicans rallying together are natural magnets to Democratic Party rivals who also congregate in this key Midwestern state. Democratic candidates crisscrossed Iowa in the week after the August 11 straw poll, meeting voters in small towns and at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Their trek culminated in a Democratic “Iowa debate” August 19.

Events like the straw poll let voters assess candidates in person. Iowans are treated to time-honored American political pageantry: hot air balloons, campaign placards and T-shirts advertise candidates; rock bands entertain crowds. This year, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee fronted his own band on bass guitar. Huckabee is competing for the Republican presidential nomination.

Candidates make speeches, shake hands and pose with supporters. Red, white and blue confetti and streamers fill the air. Free barbeque meals are in every campaign tent.

The Ames Straw Poll is not a real election, nor is it a reliable forecast of whose name will be on the 2008 presidential ballot -- particularly because several important candidates opted out. It is more a gauge of the earning power of candidates.

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