Romney Wins Iowa Straw Poll with 31%. Huckabee is a surprise second with 18%.

[flpoljunkie]

Gov Mitt Romney won the 2007 Ames straw poll, receiving 4516 votes, or 31%.

In a surprise, Gov. Mike Huckabee finished second with 2587 votes at 18.1%

11. John Cox with 41 votes.
10. John McCain with 101 votes.
9. Duncan Hunter with 174 votes.
8. Rudy Giuliani with 183 votes.
7. Fred Thomson with 231 votes.
6. Tommy Thompson, 1,009 votes, 7.3%
5. Ron Paul with 1305 votes, and 9.1%
4. Tom Tancredo with 1961 votes, 13.7%.
3. Sen. Sam Brownback with 2192 votes and 15.3%

Iowa state auditor David Vaudt unofficially certified the results.
14,203 ballots were cast.

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/08/ames.php

[democratsin08]

1. crapface guliani chickened out, lol

the rep candidates are jokes.

[flpoljunkie]

2. I wonder how many folks Romney bused to Ames.

[creeksneakers2]

14. Romney paid the $35 participation fee too

for anybody who promised to vote for Romney.

[flpoljunkie]

17. Romney hired between 130 and 150 buses--and got 4,516 votes. A poor return on his investment, altho

he did win.

The Romney campaign won't say how much it is spending on Ames. The campaign is paying political consulting company Capital Resources Inc. about $200,000 to coordinate logistics for the event, said people with knowledge of the campaign. And bus company Windstar Lines in Carroll, Iowa, will act as a central dispatcher for the about 130 to 150 buses the campaign has reserved to ferry supporters to the poll. Organizers at other campaigns said buses cost $900 to $3,000, depending on whether they can be hired locally.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118670891385593831.html

[TwilightGardener]

35. This is what I don't get--Rudy comes in first in Iowa polls, consistently--

why did he think he would lose the straw poll?

[JohnLocke]

40. No he doesn't.

Guiliani comes consistently first in national polls.

http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/iowa.html

[Colobo]

3. Good bye, Tommy Thompson!

[rodeodance]

10. crap- now he will be back here in WI.

[Zynx]

47. Oh, I'm just quaking in my boots...not.

He's a spent force.

[rodeodance]

4. umm.. ot less people voted than predicted.

[Olney Blue]

5. Ron Paul did surprisingly well- wonder if the GOP will get the message.

McCain is over. I know he said he wasn't participating, but he has NO CHANCE of winning with this type of showing.

[Colobo]

6. McCain will drop out before October.

[rodeodance]

7. "The Bible says those that endure to the end shall be saved.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback matched each other with neighboring tents and catered barbecue for supporters bused in from throughout the state. Romney was joined by his wife, Ann, and their five sons.

"We've come to recognized that this is the heartland," Ann Romney told a sea of supporters clad in yellow "Team Mitt" shirts. "We are doing this as a family."

Across the grounds, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee served fruit and joined his pickup band — Capitol Offense — for some rocking numbers on the hot, humid day.

"We're going to play again this afternoon whether you want us to or not," said Huckabee, gripping his bass guitar. "The Bible says those that endure to the end shall be saved. We'll see how many of you last until later this afternoon."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070812/ap_on_el_pr/iowa_straw_poll;_ylt=Apgra9JIR4GeWT2nzgrAQCes0NUE

[rodeodance]

8. Tom Tancredo with 1961 votes, 13.7%.--UNbelieveable that he got this many votes!

[Colobo]

12. I'm afraid of him. Very dangerous man.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

19. Kind of.

All he really seems to be in this race is Buchanan V.2; same platform, same enemies, same campaign manager. If anything, its good to see the two candidates who thought Mexico bashing was the road to success (The Tanc and Big D Hunt) face plant so thoroughly.

[Olney Blue]

13. I find that frightening.

:wtf:

[jenmito]

18. I can see Pat Buchanan on MSNBC saying this proves people want

"illegals" out of the country.

[TwilightGardener]

32. IMO, that's the REAL surprise--I can understand Brownback and Huckabee

running neck and neck for second, but Tancredo a fairly close fourth--:puke:

[dugggy]

45. Goes to show how strong the anti-illegal-immigrant sentiment is..

Tancredo is not known for any other issues.

[AlCzervik]

9. did a lot less crazies show up or is something off with that voting number?

[flpoljunkie]

11. Reportedly, 35,000 were expected to vote in this straw poll today--14,203 unexpectedly low!

[Olney Blue]

15. If I were a Republican, I would avoid voting for these losers too.

Thankfully, I'm a Democrat. O8)

[AlCzervik]

16. something is either really wrong--or--- maybe republicans will sit the next election out?

[patrice]

22. Wow! That means something doesn't it?

Lack of enthusiasm perchance?

[Colobo]

23. I hope many Republicans open their eyes as I did 2 years ago!

[patrice]

26. We should organize primarily around Issues

and secondarily around Parties.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

20. Thank God

Keeping Huckabee in keeps him out of a showdown for Pryor's seat back in Arkansas. From what I've been led to believe, Huckabee is considered to be the only Republican in the state popular enough to mount a viable challenge.

Well, that, and Huckabee's ability to keep Romney and Giuliani tracking right on social issues is going to leave them both with huge flip-flopping charges to answer for in the general.

[TomClash]

21. Didn't Jesus get any votes?

Not even one write-in?

[ecstatic]

24. Can Iowa secede already?

hehe Just kidding }(

[jaysunb]

25. I've warned about Huckabee

he looms the wild card for sure.....

[IndianaGreen]

29. Hucakbee has a populist message, is a respected governor, and he is not crazy like Duncan Hunter

or some of the others. And he is from Hope, Arkansas, like Bill Dog (Huckabee has a funny line about that!)

Romney is too elitist for the Reagan "Democrats" that now form the core of the GOP base.

[sandnsea]

41. Covenant marriages??

Oh yes he is crazy as a bedbug. I'd rather have a straight-up ideological nut, then have to deal with the religious on top of it.

[IndianaGreen]

44. He didn't invent Covenant marriages, a concept that many young fundies believe in

My limited understanding of covenant marriages is that prospective partners must submit to long term pastoral counseling and preparation for what they consider to be a permanent, life-long relationship in which there is no divorce. Before you call them crazy, consider that they point to the Xtian Bible, to no less than an authority than Jesus himself, in which he is quoted as condemning divorce.

Now consider the GOP field. All of the top tier candidates have solid records as flip-floppers, not something that appeals to the GOP base. Rudy and Fred Thompson have supported abortion rights in the past. Thompson was a lobbyiest for a pro-choice organization. Romney's record as governor fell short of the mark as far as pro-life issues goes. McCain is clearly suffering from PTSD, he is still trying to win the Vietnam war using Iraq as a proxy. So what do you have left?

Ron Paul is a libertarian, a far cry from the authoritarian Jesus zealot that the GOP base prefers. They won't support Paul!

Tancredo scares everyone.

Tommy Thompson is about to go back home.

You are left with Huckabee, like Clinton he is also from Hope, and Ann Coulter's favorite: Duncan Hunter.

Hunter has zero chance of appealing to voters outside the GOP base.

The only threat that Huckabee faces is that the Wall Street wing of the GOP don't care for his populism. They prefer someone like Romney, Rudy, Thompson.

[sandnsea]

48. You're defending covenant marriages?

Seriously? Back to the old days of subservient women trapped in poverty and abuse?? The GOP field sucks, no question. But don't think for one minute that Huckabee is someone you prefer. He's a hypocritical loon, every bit as bad as George Bush.

[IndianaGreen]

49. I was merely saying what they were, and my POV about the GOP field

One can talk about candidates and issues without becoming the obligatory bot. Geesh!

And as to hypocrisy, the GOP doesn't have a monopoly on it!

[TwilightGardener]

36. Nah. Tax-raiser.

[wisteria]

27. The Republicans deserve Romney. He is an idiot in a similar mold as Bush.

He will ensure a Democrat gets elected.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

28. Considering Romney paid people to go and that Freddy and the rest weren't competing,

isn't this a rather poor showing for Romney?

[AtomicKitten]

30. The GOP field really creeps me out.

[jenmito]

31. I think Hukabee would be the hardest competition for us!

He's consistent with his "pro-life" position, smiles and seems to care about people. He also seems to care about the poor. I'm pretty sure he was only married once, too.

[TwilightGardener]

33. He thinks WW2 was not really that important--the Global War Against Jihad

is MUCH more important. He's fucking nuts.

[Colobo]

34. Huckabee can take his bass and stick it up his...

[TwilightGardener]

37. LOL! That's gonna hurt, though...

[loveangelc]

38. .

Romney is such a fraud. But he looks Presidential and is a Governor so the GOP will probably think he has a chance against Hillary with her being a senator. So I've heard.

[LostInAnomie]

39. I honestly think Huckabee could be the most dangerous Repuke running.

If the media would arbitrarily decide he's first tier material (like they've done with every other top tier candidate on both sides) he would be tough to beat. He's a very likeable guy that puts a smiling face and soothing words on some of the most regressive political thoughts out there.

If given the media attention and money that Mittens, & Rudy have gotten he would be a VERY strong candidate.

[trashcanistanista]

42. I still can't figure out why he isn't the front runner

he seems less crazy than the others. But then I'm not a rethug and can't figure out for the life of me how they think. I was a little frightned of him in the beginning, now, not as much.

[Inuca]

46. Agree

He sounds so very reasonable, seems smart and is a good speaker, in the reasonable, you can trust me, mold. He can even convince ME at times. And then he drops a bomb that scares the hell out of me. Sorry I cannot provide a specific example, I do not pay enough attention to remember. What I do remember though is that I used to think a while back that if worse comes worse, he might not be so terrible after all, and that now I am definitely in the "knock wood and God preserve us" category in as far as he is concerned.

[flpoljunkie]

43. Romney received 4516 votes. At a reportedly $5Mil spent, that's $1107 and change per vote.

[Sparkly]

50. I think Duncan Hunter's going to move up.

Just a hunch, nothing more.

Edit - nevermind... Wondered why McCain was doing so badly, but it's Iowa. :dunce: