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Title: Major Candidates say they're Skipping Texas GOP Straw Poll (Knowing They Will Probably Get a Texas Asskickin' from Ron Paul)
Source:
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
URL Source: http://www.statesman.com/news/conte ... local/07/27/0727strawpoll.html
Published: Jul 27, 2007
Author: By W. Gardner Selby
Post Date: 2007-07-27 12:24:10 by Vitamin Z
Keywords: None
Views: 255
Comments: 7
Republican presidential hopefuls, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, will not attend a straw poll convention of Texas GOP activists, their campaigns say. Their no-go decisions, which follow former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's decision last month to skip all straw polls, suggest that the upcoming poll could take place without personal appeals from front-running candidates, though others, including U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, have been penciled in. "It's very important to Ron because of the pride he takes in Texas as his home state," spokesman Jesse Benton said. The sponsoring Republican Party of Texas has said that up to 10,000 past delegates or alternates to party conventions will come to Fort Worth for the poll from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, the front end of Labor Day weekend. They can look over candidates and take a nonbinding vote. Neither Romney nor McCain has told the party he's not coming, party spokesman Hans Klingler said. "It is in their best interests to show up for the event if they want to have a chance of winning it," he said. Nationally, candidates have focused on states with early caucuses and primaries, especially Iowa, where Romney has been stumping toward an August straw poll, and New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the first primary each presidential election year. This year, Texas looked at joining states moving up next year's primaries, potentially affording voters more sway in choosing presidential nominees. But a state House-approved measure shifting the primaries from March to February died amid Senate skepticism that the change would make a difference. Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said: "Unfortunately, there is a scheduling conflict, and the campaign is focused on our efforts in early (caucus and primary) states like Iowa and New Hampshire." She said Romney volunteers will be in Fort Worth. McCain will not come, spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said, though she declined to give a reason. But Texas is important to him, and he's "dedicated to communicating his common-sense conservative message to voters." Prospective candidate Fred Thompson, the actor and former U.S. senator from Tennessee, has yet to say whether he's heading to Texas that weekend. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson have committed, Klingler said, along with U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas has not firmed up his plans. U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado has no plans to attend now, his campaign said. Jan Galbraith, an Austin member of the state Republican Executive Committee, said candidates who don't come won't win: "They need to be there." Brian Russell, the other Austin committee member, said activists could send a pro-conservative message regardless of which candidates show. "If the grass roots exhibit strong support for any or all of Tancredo, Hunter, Huckabee or Paul," he said, "then the strong message will be sent that the front-runner(s) must court conservative voters if they want to beat" U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, a Democratic front-runner. Sydney Hay, Hunter's campaign manager, predicted that conservatives will "again prove that this is not just a race between a couple of so-called 'front-runners' whose current lead in the national polls is based on pure name ID alone and is in steady decline as Republican voters begin to learn about the candidates." GOP consultant Chad Wilbanks warned against activists favoring a lesser-known candidate because actual voters in the March primary will be unlikely to follow their lead, rendering the poll results meaningless. Participants "are going to have to choose someone who has a realistic chance of winning, even if they're not there," Wilbanks said. "They cannot pick a second-tier candidate. You want to have some sort of credibility." Alan Sager, chairman of the Travis County Republicans, said he won't attend because of personal commitments. But he's encouraging others. "It will probably be a fun time," Sager said. wgselby@statesman.com; 445-3644
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#1. To: Vitamin Z. RP friends here (#0)
zionist pos A friend called this morning to report that ten guys in his coffee group are ALL on board with Dr.Paul. Last evening a very liberal professor at St.Edwards University said that everyone she knew was re-registering as pubbies so that they can vote RP. Join the revolution.
Hey Lod, Did you see the events RP has going on in TX? Click above and look to the left.
"No one can read our Constitution without concluding that the people who wrote it wanted their government severely limited; the words 'no' and 'not' employed in restraint of government power occur 24 times in the first seven articles of the Constitution and 22 more times in the Bill of Rights." -- Rev. Edmund A. Opitz (1914-2006) American minister, author
personal commitments..to who? Tel Aviv?
Probably a good idea...why suffer the humiliation of another public ass-kicking at the hands of Congressman Paul, which is virtually guaranteed in Texas?
Am I seeing things re: thread title? Please tell me my mind isn't slipping away just yet...
the part in parens is Vitamin's ;)
Couldn't resist that one. It would be funny if that really was the MSM title, though.
Alan Sager, chairman of the Travis County Republicans, said he won't attend because of personal commitments. But he's encouraging others.
#2. To: lodwick (#1)
#3. To: Vitamin Z (#0)
Alan Sager, chairman of the Travis County Republicans, said he won't attend because of personal commitments.
#4. To: Vitamin Z (#0)
Republican presidential hopefuls, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, will not attend a straw poll convention of Texas GOP activists, their campaigns say.
Remember...G-d saved more animals than people on the ark. www.siameserescue.org
#5. To: All, christine (#4)
Remember...G-d saved more animals than people on the ark. www.siameserescue.org
#6. To: who knows what evil (#5)
#7. To: christine, who knows what evil (#6)
the part in parens is Vitamin's ;)
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