Straw Poll Death Toll: Sticks at 1
by Ryan Sager
Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 4:56 PM
updated Mon, 13 Aug 2007 at 4:56 PM
Sam Brownback failed to place second in the Iowa Straw Poll, losing out to Mike Huckabee, but for now at least it seems he's hanging in there. From his campaign:
Brownback Exceeds Expectations at Ames Straw Poll
Top three finish provides boost and establishes viability
DES MOINES – The Brownback for President campaign today highlighted its success at the Ames Straw Poll and released the following statement from national campaign manager Rob Wasinger:
"The Brownback Campaign achieved its goal to place in the top three at the Ames Straw Poll. Many pundits and commentators said Senator Brownback didn't have a chance to come in the top three in Ames. Last week, a poll of Iowa GOP County Chairs predicted Senator Brownback would finish fifth at Ames.
"Facing a divided field with many Republican candidates, getting outspent by 10 to 1, and running on a shoestring budget without one radio or TV advertisement, the Brownback campaign established Senator Brownback as a viable candidate in the race ahead.
"The Brownback Campaign has the resources to continue, carries zero debt, and Senator Brownback is in the race for the long haul. We have staff in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and a national plan for victory.
"The Ames Straw Poll confirmed what we already knew about the state of the Republican race in Iowa and showed Brownback exceeding expectations. An ABC News-Washington Post poll released a week before the Ames Straw Poll showed that, among candidates participating in Ames, Romney lead the field, followed by Huckabee and then Brownback.
"Brownback's 15 percent showing in Ames far exceeded his 5 percent showing in the ABC News-Washington Post poll.
"Historically, the eventual nominee comes from the top three finishers in Ames. History also shows that the nominee and Straw Poll winner are not necessarily one and the same.
"Senator Brownback placed in the top three in the two most important straw polls in 2007, at Ames last weekend and at the CPAC convention in March in Washington, DC. Only Brownback and Mitt Romney placed in the top three at both Ames and CPAC.
"No other candidate has Senator Brownback's message of protecting life, marriage and the family, his strong foreign policy and human rights credentials, his record opposing taxes, and his policies for a three-state political solution for Iraq, an optional flat tax and personal Social Security accounts.
"Simply put, Senator Brownback is the best candidate to lead fiscal and social conservatives to victory in 2008."
The idea that Mr. Brownback exceeded expectations strikes me as pure spin. It's long been clear Mr. Brownback had the organization and committed supporters to compete at an event like Ames. (I predicted he'd take second in my column ahead of Iowa.) But he was beaten by a fellow pro-lifers, so what's the logic now of his candidacy?
Rich Lowry has it right: "[Huckabee's] nosing out of Brownback should have the Kansas senator thinking about the rationale of his candidacy. Before, it seemed that he was going to split Romney's vote, the newly pro-life candidate with credibility problems with some conservatives. That's fine if you think Romney is a fraud and an unreliable pro-lifer. But now what is he going to do? Split Huckabee's vote, the solid pro-lifer? Does Brownback really just want to be a pro-life spoiler? The fact is that—for all his principle and commitment—he doesn't have a lot of appeal as a presidential candidate, unfortunately."
Still, the Straw Poll Death Toll stands at 1.
Related Topics: GOP Primary
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