Notes from the Straw Poll

AMES – Free food? Check.

Free t-shirts. Check.

A dunk tank? Dance crews? Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln impersonators? Check, check and double check.

The eyes of the American political world focused on Ames Saturday to see which Republican candidate meet, beat or didn't live up to expectations at the Iowa GOP straw poll Saturday.

Basically a big fundraiser for the Iowa GOP, the straw poll also serves as an early indicator of whose message is resonating, who has organizational strength and who's just not ready for prime time.

“Here's the thing, there can only be one person as president and there are always going to be winners and losers,” said Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa Political Science professor. “Political parties, Republican or Democrat, whether it's the straw poll, the caucuses or something else, you have to find the best person who is going to represent your party.”

For the candidates who don't do well, it can be a bitter pill to swallow. Although in the carnival-like atmosphere of the Iowa GOP straw poll, one that goes down with a cotton candy kiss and a free t-shirt.

Energy wars

Three of the most prominent supporters of the Iowa GOP straw poll are the interest groups representing petroleum interests, wind energy and the biofuels lobby.

One of the features of the wind energy group is a turbine blade that candidates and voters are encouraged to sign.

Gov. Terry Branstad was one of the higher-profile signatories on Saturday. Branstad said his signing was an endorsement of wind energy, but not to the exclusion of either oil or biofuels. 

“I'm for cheap reliable energy, I'm for renewable, but I also think petroleum has a role to play too,” Brandstad said. “Especially if it's produced in the United States, if it comes from North Dakota, I'm all for it. If it comes from the Middle East, I wish we weren't getting it from there.”

Immediately after he signed his name on the blade, Branstad was engaged in conversation by Jeanne Elliott of Boone who asked him to do something about power companies getting easements for power lines.

“I'm not for a lot of government regulation, but we need protection for property owners too,” Elliott said.

Secret ballot

Gov. Terry Branstad is among the thousands of Iowans who cast a vote in the Iowa GOP straw poll, but he remains diplomatically tight-lipped about which of the Republican hopefuls have his support.

“It's a secret ballot and I'm not divulging,” Branstad said as he walked the campus grounds Saturday morning.

Asked about Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential ambitions, Branstad praised the governor's record on jobs and noted that there is a serious write-in campaign being mounted on behalf of Perry in Ames.

“It will be interesting to see how that turns out,” Branstad said. “The straw poll is what it is, it is not a scientific survey, it is not the Iowa caucuses, but it's all about expectations. You know what happened four years ago this straw poll was won by Mitt Romeny, but (Mike) Huckabee came in a surprising second.”

As for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's visit to the Iowa State Fair on Friday, Branstad would only say “She keeps everyone guessing.”

Waterloo's own

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's straw poll tent attracted some of the largest crowds Saturday. The line to register as a Bachmann campaign supporter snaked across the parking lot north of Hilton Coliseum, the nexus point of the event. Supporters donning her red t-shirts were seen all over as well. "Her conservative views are very much like mine and she's straightforward about what she'll do," said Gaylen Eller of Des Moines. Eller, who had his entry paid for by the Bachmann campaign, thought she'd finish strong in the results today. "I don't have a doubt about that," he said. Other folks standing nearby weren't so quick to throw their weight behind Bachmann or any other candidate. "I came here not really knowing who I'm going to vote for," said Jim Hill of Ellsworth. Hill said he liked Bachmann, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Hill was also open to others like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, but said he need to know more about Perry's stances But for Hill, it was more about who could beat President Barack Obama than supporting a solidly conservative candidate. "I don't know if any of them have a prayer," Hill said. "It may come down to Mitt Romney," he said. Hill's friend Steve Holt, also of Ellsworth, is backing Gingrich because of he's had specific policy prescriptions and knowledge of issues. "He's got history behind him," Holt said. Neither, however, wanted to back Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who also had a strong showing. They said they worried about Paul's opposition to foreign military intervention as a deal breaker for them. "That ruins it for me," Holt said.

Interested parties

Issue groups promoting everything from flat taxes and Constitutional carry laws to same-sex marriage fanned out across the straw poll grounds on Saturday to recruit new members for their ground operations.

T-shirts, bumper stickers and clipboards full of petition pages are their stock in trade; anything, really, to get someone to stop for a minute or two to listen to a couple talking points.

“We're a completely non-partisan organization that supports marriage and works to stop the spread of communicable diseases,” said Neil Gerstein, an 18-year-old volunteer with ONE Iowa, which is best known in the state for its advocacy of same-sex marriage and gay rights.

The ONE tent was placed right outside the main entrance to Hilton Coliseum and the group hired a dance troupe from Des Moines to attract passers-by. The method worked and Gerstein said the people who stopped in weren't hostile, even though many of the candidates stumping for votes on Saturday support a Constitutional amendment to make marriage between a man and woman. “They seem pretty open-minded,” Gerstein said.

One of the larger operations was put on by businessman Michael George who wants to get candidates and elected executives to sigm onto adopting Six Sigma business strategies to reform government and cut spending.

His campaign is called Strong America Now.

“You really have to stop by the tent,” said Luther Landon, a Rockford, Illinois, resident who was decked out in a Strong America Now cap and t-shirt. “What Michael George is doing will change everything.”

The write-ins

Candidates who showed up in Ames are getting most of the buzz, but there are enthusiastic whispers about who isn't here too.

News of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's South Carolina announcement kept tongues wagging and every so often a person sporting a Mitt Romeny or Sarah Palin shirt could be seen passing out bumper stickers or campaign literature, hoping, perhaps that their preferred candidate would get a electoral boost from a write-in campaign.

“I've liked Rick Perry for a long time,” said Ernie Rankin of Knoxville, Iowa, who sported a maroon “Americans for Rick Perry” t-shirt. He and his wife, Eneatha, made their first trip to the straw poll since 1999 to write in Perry's name.

“I like what he did for businesses in Texas and I think he's a good man,” Ernie said.

Legislative priorities

Walt Rogers fell in with Rick Santorum months ago. Rogers, a freshman state representative from Cedar Falls, said he made his decision after talking to Santorum about politics and family.

“It was a good conversation, we share similar views, especially when it comes to family,” said Rogers, a youth minister and non-profit director.

The Iowa GOP straw poll is the time for many Iowa Republicans, particularly those in public life, to give their support for a presidential candidate. Some like Wilton's Jeff Kaufmann and Renee Schulte of Cedar Rapids and Pleasant Valley's Kim Pearson, all of whom are members of the Iowa House, declared their affiliation for Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, respectively, months ago.

Others are still on the fence.

State Rep. Mark Lofgren of Muscatine, who made a trip to his first-ever straw poll on Saturday, said he was leaning toward Gingrich. Roby Smith, a state senator from Davenport, didn't want to be pinned down as he browsed the food tents Saturday.

“I think we still have to see everybody who's going to get in,” said Smith. “I think it's still not settled who's in and who's out, so I want to see what that looks like.”

Josh Nelson

of the Waterloo Courier contributed to this report.