Bachmann press secretary Alice Stewart told Fox News yesterday that Michele Bachmann would not be participating in Florida’s Presidency 5 straw poll late September because the campaign did not want to devote resources to the effort.
“Florida will be a critical state in this process,” Stewart said. “We just simply are not going to dedicate the resources to participating in that straw poll. By no means is that any indication that we’re not going to move full speed ahead in developing an organization in the Sunshine State.”
There is just one catch: the Presidency 5 straw poll requires no resources to participate. Candidates who participate are asked to give a speech the day the straw poll is held, and that’s the extent of their commitment. There is no fee for a campaign to participate. Straw poll attendees pay their own conference fees.
Furthermore, whether Bachmann participates or not, her name will be on the ballot. Mitt Romney is also skipping official participation in this straw poll.
In my piece last week, I looked at how this straw poll gave candidates a chance to woo many of the Florida GOP’s movers and shakers. And the Presidency 5 poll has another distinction: every candidate who’s won has gone on to win both Florida and the Republican nomination.
Video of Stewart’s interview:
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