Just in case you missed it, today is the infamous Ames Straw Poll, where as many as 40,000 Iowa Republicans are expected to cast a ballot for who they believe should be their party’s 2008 presidential nominee. Held every four years, it’s considered one of the most important political events heading into the presidential primary. Except, this year, it might not be, depending on who you talk to. For one, even though they are on the straw poll ballot, three of the leading frontrunners opted not to show up this year: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Fred Thompson, who isn’t even technically a candidate yet.
That has prompted all kinds of expectation playing on all sides. So far, it’s considered Mitt Romney’s race to lose, largely because he’s spent gobs of money wooing supporters in the state and busing them in for the vote. Anything less than victory--and by a big margin at that, rivals say-would suggest that that Romney might not be all that here in Iowa. On Friday, Romney’s campaign tried to lower expectations noting, among other things, that a lack of a “prevailing national frontrunner” would suppress the Ames turnout. Uh huh. Your Gaggler’s interpretation of the Romney memo: If Mitt wins big, Ames is huge! If he doesn’t, Ames is lames!
But your Gaggler would be remiss in not revealing what Ames is really all about: It’s a huge party, period. There is a Ferris wheel, courtesy of a tax reform group. Only in Ames could you have spotted a presidential hopeful (Mike Huckabee) rocking bass on “Johnny B. Goode” with an Elvis impersonator singing lead vocals. Even stranger, the Elvis was actually on site to support Duncan Hunter. (Hunter’s wife was also on stage with Huckabee’s band, singing backup.) “If only all campaigns got along as well as ours,” Huckabee said afterwards, hugging Hunter’s wife.
Indeed, today’s contest may not come down to just politics, but which candidate provided the most fun for straw poll voters. In that respect, it’s a big showdown between Romney and Sam Brownback, both of whom have erected what can only be described as tiny carnivals here at Iowa State University. In that spirit, here’s the breakdown on Ames by the numbers:
1: Rock Climbing Wall, courtesy Romney
3: Moon Bounces, courtesy Romney
4: Moon Bounces, courtesy Brownback
1: Dunk Tank, courtesy Brownback
1: Air Conditioned Tent, courtesy Brownback
2: 150 pound watermelons, courtesy Huckabee
2: Snow Cone booths, courtesy Brownback
1: B-list actor in Stephen Baldwin, who unexpectedly showed up to support Brownback.
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