Senator Makes Hay of Poll
By Tim Carpenter
By Tim Carpenter
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback scoffed Friday at decisions by two top-tier candidates to bypass this summer’s high- profile straw poll in Iowa.
The U.S. senator from Kansas also questioned Mitt Romney’s claim of a likely victory in the August straw poll given announcements by Rudy Giuliani and John McCain to skip this early assessment of political organization. The nonbinding straw poll leads up to Iowa’s presidential nominating caucuses in January.
“There are no coronations in America,” Brownback said. “The son of a Kansas farmer could still become president of the United States. You don’t declare yourself winner before the game is played. The people of Iowa will determine who wins.”
Brownback said at a news conference in his West Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters that presidential aspirants forgo the Iowa straw poll at their own peril.
“People have tried in the past to skip Iowa,” he said. “It has failed as a strategy. Iowa is a good testing ground for presidential politics.”
In the past 30 years, no Republican has won the Iowa caucus after sidestepping the straw poll.
National surveys place Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, and McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, as leaders of the Republican field. Both vowed to compete in the Jan. 11 caucuses in Iowa, which start a three-week stretch of political contests expected to determine the nominees.
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, called decisions by Giuliani and McCain to bow out “a gift” to his candidacy. Romney is planning an all-out effort at the Aug. 11 straw poll in Ames, Iowa.
Brownback said candidates balking at the straw poll leave an impression they don’t share the values of Iowa Republicans.
“It’s them saying they’re not in touch with the base of the party,” Brownback said.
Brownback, who is polling far behind top-tier candidates, challenged all competitors in the Iowa straw poll to a debate.
“It’s important that people not skip the debate or not be declared winners before a debate, or somehow put themselves outside of the reach of the discussion of the people,” Brownback said.
He appeared eager to make the straw poll a two-man race between Romney and himself.
“Mitt Romney is a good man, but there are many differences between us on the issues,” Brownback said. “I’m for a three-state political solution in Iraq. He’s not. I’m pro-life. He’s not. I’m opposed to gun control. He has not been. I’m for a flat-tax. He is not. This election will be decided on principles and not on personalities. My values and principles reflect those of Iowans.”
Brownback said he had campaigned 23 times in Iowa since forming a presidential exploratory committee in December. He officially entered the race in January and now has about 45 people working for his campaign in Iowa.
Tim Carpenter can be reached
at (785) 295-1158
or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.
(c) 2007 Topeka Capital Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.