Republican Party of Iowa Ames Straw Poll
Republican presidential candidates will make stops in Iowa nearly every week until the Straw Poll on August 13, 2011. The pre-straw poll phase will involve small campaign events, large state and county GOP fundraisers, and a number of other third party events at which candidates will make appearances.
Thousands of people, arriving by the busload from every corner of the state, will converge in Ames, Iowa on August 13, 2011 for the Republican Party of Iowa’s Straw Poll. Approximately 600 journalists from more than 250 news organizations will cover the event and engage connected activities. Thousands of people will attend the straw poll in 2011. Register here if you would like to attend.
The Republican Party of Iowa Straw Poll is the single most important event on the 2011 calendar for Republican presidential candidates. All Republican contenders will likely participate. This event will be the one opportunity to have access to every candidate on the same day, in the same place. For energy-minded voters, the Straw Poll presents a unique opportunity to have a direct conversation with Republican presidential candidates about their vision for comprehensive energy policy. The Iowa Energy Forum has been talking to the candidates as they come through the state.
The Straw Poll is the focus through the summer for Republican presidential campaigns. It is a major logistical exercise: identify supporters willing to attend, transport them, feed and entertain them, get their vote and send them home. The campaigns utilize the event as a way to mobilize and activate their support base as a pre-caucus drill, but the event has taken on much greater importance.
After poor showings in the 1999 Iowa Straw Poll, candidates Lamar Alexander and Elizabeth Dole dropped out of the race. In 2007, Tommy Thompson and Sam Brownback withdrew from the presidential nominating race after they received sub-par support at the Straw Poll.
The importance placed on the Straw Poll in 2011 is even greater as the nominating field is more crowded, and it is the first real contest of the Republican presidential nominating process. It is estimated that nearly 50,000 people will participate in the 2011 Iowa Straw Poll, setting a new attendance record for the event.
For more, or to request an invitation to attend, go here.
