Republican candidates to attend Iowa’s ‘Straw Poll lite’

DES MOINES - It's like the Straw Poll, but without the straw poll.

Ten Republican presidential candidates plan to appear at the state party's 'Growth and Opportunity Party” on Saturday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

The event will feature remarks by the candidates, who also will have been given free space on the grounds to attempt to entice Iowa GOP voters in whatever fashion they choose.

'It's going to feel like a fair-like atmosphere,” said Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. 'Probably a little bit like a smaller version of the Straw Poll without the vote, obviously.”

The party this year canceled the Straw Poll, a tradition in Republican presidential nominating years since 1979, amid growing concerns from outside Iowa that the event allowed the first-in-the-nation caucus state to double dip in the presidential nominating process.

The decision, state party leaders said, was made in no small part to protect Iowa's first-in-the-nation status.

But with the Straw Poll went a significant fundraiser for the Iowa GOP.

Kaufmann said the state party has given the campaigns complete freedom over how to conduct their operations at Saturday's event. He said he expects more than 1,000 people to attend.

'So if a candidate wants to bring their ‘A' game in how they want to reach out to voters, they have the ability to do that,” Kaufmann said.

Kaufmann said how candidates approach the event could show a sign of campaign strength or lack thereof.

'I expect the 13 viable candidates will have some presence there, and if they don't, and they're not there, I think (why) is a valid question for Republican voters to ask,” Kaufmann said.

Kaufmann said part of the allure of Saturday's event for him is the unknown.

'We've never really done anything like this before. This is an experiment on the part of the party,” he said. 'I'm excited about it because I don't know entirely what to expect. We probably have less control of this event than probably any ever put on by the Republican Party of Iowa.”

Ben Carson and Donald Trump, the two candidates holding a commanding lead in polls on the race in Iowa, are among the few who do not plan to attend Saturday's event.

John Kasich and George Pataki also do not plan to attend. The remaining 10 candidates are scheduled to appear.

The event will be held just three days after the most recent GOP presidential debate.

'I think you'll have the typical drama of who's going to throw out a dig at who and who's going to draw a contrast,” Kaufmann said.

Iowa Democrats on Friday held a news conference to criticize the Republican candidates and their 'spooky” policies, playing on the Oct. 31 date of Saturday's GOP event.

'I don't think any of them has any ideas that meet the needs of Iowa families. … They're old policies, trickle-down economics, saying hateful things about our immigrant families and not addressing college debt,” Andy McGuire, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said at a news conference that also included supporters who talked about Social Security, immigration and college tuition costs.