Grasping at Straws
August 31st, 2007 at 3:18 pm
If the Republican Party organizes a presidential straw poll and no candidates show up, does it actually take place?
We will answer that question for you later today, after the inaugural Texas Republican presidential straw poll gets going in Fort Worth.
And yes, we’re exaggerating slightly. It’s not that no candidates will show up, just not the ones that most pundits believe matter. Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain all bowed out weeks ago. Earlier this week, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took a pass as well. That leaves Texas’ own Ron Paul, California Congressman Duncan Hunter, and a few guys most folks have never heard of.
Straw polls are non-binding. They’re traditionally more useful as campaign PR than anything else. Though the missing front runners will undoubtedly receive votes from the gathered GOP faithful, their absence provides an opportunity for the lower-tier candidates to earn some much-needed pub. The poll will only be open to delegates who have attended at least one Republican state or national convention since 2000. Expect those who do come to be hardcore GOPers.
The actual straw poll — slated for Saturday morning — is only part of the allure this weekend. More anti-war protesters may turn up at the Fort Worth Convention Center than GOP delegates. It appears the most passionate from both ends of the spectrum will be converging on Cowtown. We’ll post dispatches from Fort Worth tonight and tomorrow.
September 1st, 2007 at 3:54 pm
[…] Republican presidential straw poll has been bizarre. And it wasn’t just the street theater surrounding the Fort Worth Convention […]