Category: Ames Straw Poll

A Day at the Straw Poll

Representative Ron Paul addresses supporters at the Ames Straw Poll.
Dr. Paul is on the covered stage at center left.  (Photo by author.)

After months of planning and hard work the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames is finally over.  I spent the day there and, although the results weren’t exactly what I wanted, it was time well spent.

The day began early as myself and some local Ron Paul supporters boarded a bus provided by the campaign in Anamosa.  Fourteen of us got on at Anamosa and the bus already had about that many on it from Maquoketa.  One septuagenarian that got on with us told me that his daughter had chided him for not riding with her group on the Michele Bachmann bus.  He said that he told her that he wanted to ride with “the young people.”

That might be a bit of an overgeneralization of Ron Paul’s supporters, since they run the gamut, but Dr. Paul certainly does have more young and energetic followers than the others.  I’m betting that our bus had more examples of tattoos and body-piercings than, say, a typical Rick Santorum bus.  It’s somewhat ironic that 76-year-old R.P., the oldest candidate in the race, would have so many young supporters.  My theory on why is because younger Americans have been so immersed in commercial media their whole lives that they can tell the difference between when they are being talked to and when they are being marketed to.  R.P. just says what he thinks while other candidates spout poll-tested platitudes designed to elicit the desired response (a vote).

As soon as the bus arrived at the ISU campus (where the Straw Poll takes place) a Ron Paul campaign staffer escorted our group up to the voting area and everyone voted.  After that we were free to enjoy the festivities.  Ron Paul’s area was in the prime location in the central courtyard next to Hilton Coliseum.  He had a stage with bands playing, games for the kids (including a dunk tank featuring someone in a Ben Bernanke mask getting dunked), and barbecue and hot dogs being served.  I even spent an hour or so helping hand out pop and water to the thirsty crowd at Dr. Paul’s beverage tent.

For once the campaign of the candidate I was supporting had all the bells and whistles and I didn’t seem to be in the minority.  People in R.P. t-shirts where everywhere, seemingly outnumbering all other supporters.

Besides all of the candidates, various groups such as Strong America Now, NRA, and Us Against Alzheimer’s had booths or tents set up.  High on my to-do list was to stop by the Iowa Gun Owners booth and get myself an IGO t-shirt.  However, due to high demand, they were out by the time I made it to their booth.  I guess I’ll have to order one on their website.

Our group waited around as long as we could to hear the results of the Straw Poll but eventually had to go catch our bus home.  On the ride home the news came in on cell phones that Ron Paul had came in a close second behind Michele Bachmann.  The final results looked like this (Votes, %):

1. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (4823, 28.55%)

2. Congressman Ron Paul (4671, 27.65%)

3. Governor Tim Pawlenty (2293, 13.57%)

4. Senator Rick Santorum (1657, 9.81%)

5. Herman Cain(1456, 8.62%)

6. Governor Rick Perry (718, 3.62%) write-in

7. Governor Mitt Romney (567, 3.36%)

8. Speaker Newt Gingrich (385, 2.28%)

9. Governor Jon Huntsman (69, 0.41%)

10. Congressman Thad McCotter (35, 0.21%)

Scattering (218, 1.30 %) Includes all those receiving votes at less than one-percent that were not on the ballot.

While Bachmann won the Straw Poll fair-and-square, we Paulistas can console ourselves with a few thoughts:

  1. It ain’t the caucus.  The straw poll is non-binding test of campaign strength primarily used as a fund-raiser for the Iowa GOP.  Hopefully the Paul campaign used it to identify their strengths and weaknesses and will put this information to good use winning the Iowa Caucus.
  2. It was darned close!  Only 152 votes (0.9%) separated Dr. Paul from the first place finisher.  If Ron Paul had won by just a fraction of a percent (as Bachmann did), you can bet the press would be playing up what a squeaker the win was.
  3. He did darned good!  Ron Paul’s second place vote total was higher than Mitt Romney’s first place vote total in 2007 and was the fourth highest vote total in Straw Poll history.  He won a higher percentage of the Straw Poll vote than the eventual caucus winner in three of the past four election cycles (including Mike Huckabee’s 18.1%).
  4. Bachmann gave away more free tickets.  While most Ron Paul supporters like myself had to pay (a discounted price) for our tickets into the Straw Poll, his campaign did buy give away 4,750 tickets for free.  Bachmann’s campaign, by contrast, gave away 6,000 freebies.  There’s nothing underhanded about that, it’s just easier to pack the house with free tickets to a free meal than a discounted price.  Ron Paul supporters mostly had to pay to vote for him and he still almost won.

Anyway, Straw Poll down.  Next stop: The Iowa Caucus.

Ron Paul Gains Ground In Iowa (Literally)

It may come as a surprise to former Congressman Anthony Weiner, but the best way to judge a politician’s efficacy is by the size of his… uh, tent.  At least that’s how it works at the Iowa Republican Straw Poll in Ames.  Judging by the site awarded to candidate Ron Paul, the good doctor plans on having a lot of supporters in his tent.  (I’ll be one of them.)

The straw poll is held in and around the Hilton Coliseum on the ISU campus which is sectioned off and lots are “auctioned” off to the respective campaigns.  Of course not all lots are equal and the choicest spots go to those who cough up the most cash.  (The proceeds go to the Iowa GOP.)  According to the Iowa Republican (which listed Ron Paul as one of the big winners of the straw poll real estate auction):

The Ron Paul Revolution will take center stage at the Iowa Straw Poll now that Paul has purchased the same lot that has hosted the previous two winners of the event, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush. Paul had to pay a hefty price, $31,000, but the space is the closest of any other to the voting locations. The elevated walkways that will surround the Paul compound make it an ideal spot for the media to use as a backdrop.

This will be quite different than when I attended the event in 2007.  Back then the deep-pocketed candidates (like Romney) were in the center of the action and had huge tents, catered meals, bands, and carnival rides.  Dr. Paul’s lot was a bit off the beaten path and I can only recall one open-sided picnic tent.  He had some local garage bands and campaign volunteers grilled a few hotdogs.  (That was still better than 1999 when I supported Alan Keyes.  His small space was literally out in a parking lot.  He had a small GI pup tent set up and he and I split a Fresca.  Okay, I made that last part up.)

This time Ron Paul appears to one of the major players at the event.  Unlike 2007, Ron Paul will be providing charter bus transportation for supporters to get to the event.  The IowaForRonPaul website boasts that Dr. Paul’s tent will include free food, drinks, literature, music and games.  Before supporters had to pay their own way into the event, this year Paul’s campaign is subsidizing the tickets so supporters only pay $10 for everything, including transportation.

If you’d like to attend, you can order your ticket at http://www.iowaforronpaul.com/.

Vote Ron Paul At The Ames Straw Poll



 I’ll be supporting doctor and U.S. Representative Ron Paul at the Ames Straw Poll on August 13th.

At a time when the U.S. government is borrowing $3 million every minute, many Republicans have signed on to a supposedly “bold” plan that pretends to have unknown future politicians balance the budget 50 years from now. Ron Paul, however, supports balancing the budget while we still have a country. In his 21 years in Congress, Paul has never voted to raise taxes and has voted AGAINST every unbalanced budget. Imagine what he could do with a presidential veto pen.

He never votes for legislation unless it’s expressly authorized by the Constitution. His votes have earned him the derisive name “Dr. No” from his big-spending colleagues in Congress and “Taxpayers’ Best Friend” from the National Taxpayers’ Union. He realizes that we can no longer afford to fight war after endless war where we no longer even bother to define victory. Ron Paul is pro-life, pro-free market, and pro-Second Amendment.

If you want to support Dr. Paul in the Ames Straw Poll you can get your ticket at http://www.iowaforronpaul.com/. If you register before July 4th, you get roundtrip transportation to the event, a Ron Paul T-shirt, and food, drinks, and entertainment at the Ron Paul tent for only $10.