Great news, Ames, Iowa–area vendors, caterers, and local power-brokers:
The Republican Party of Iowa’s governing board will vote on [the Ames Straw Poll’s] future at 11 a.m. Saturday, but GOP insiders said the decision will almost certainly be to proceed with planning for an event in August as usual.
Just think, Republican aspiring presidents, with enough time, money, and effort, you can follow the path of past Ames Straw Poll winner Michele Bachmann, who went on to spend $15 million and finish with 5 percent in the Iowa caucuses! Or 2007 winner Mitt Romney! Or 1995 co-winner Phil Gramm! Or 1987 winner Pat Robertson! Or 1979 winner George H. W. Bush!
(You may have noticed that none of those figures went on to win the nomination, nor even the Iowa caucus the following year.)
Okay, every once in a while, the straw-poll winner goes on to win the nomination: co-winner Bob Dole in 1995, George W. Bush in 1999.
As the Des Moines Register noted:
The straw poll, in fact, proved to be a substantial drain on candidates’ finances. In addition to the fees paid to the party, candidates spent big bucks on food, entertainment and transportation. Pawlenty dropped nearly $27,000 on Famous Dave’s barbecue to feed the straw poll crowd before finishing third and exiting the race the next day. Bachmann spent more than $40,000 renting buses to transport supporters to the poll — and another $7,000 on golf carts to shuttle folks around the grounds.