Great idea ...
Today I sent the original story out (below) as a national press release to parties such as Drudge, Limbaugh, Levin, Hannity, AP, 15 major Florida newspapers, CNN, Fox news ... Washington Times ... many others.
I'm not surprised by somebody "getting the straw poll numbers wrong" /sarcasm-off ...
The FIRST thing I did upon arrival at the meeting was to copy the Candidate names down in my notebook, in the exact order as the "blue" Straw Poll Ballot.
That way, when the vote cout was announced, I could quickly and "accurately" transcribe the numbers as they were announced.
Kevin Wright, a fellow attendee, was standing immediately to my right as the vote numbers were announced, and I was "indeed" surprised when the moderator said "30.7 percent for Marco Rubio" ...
I turned to Kevin and asked "30.7 for Marco" ?
Kevin replied, "Yes !" ...
all in the space of 10 seconds ...
after which I continued writing down the remained of the numbers.
I stand by my account, the famously "liberal" Tampa Bay Times notwithstanding.
Today's Press Release:
Ted Cruz SURPRISES the GOP Beltway Establishment Pundits at the FFPC Florida Straw Poll (May 19, 2015) in Orlando, Florida.
A virtual dead-heat between Ted Cruz (30.3 %) and supposed "Florida native son darling" Marco Rubio (30.7 %).
Jed Bush and Scott Walker shared third-place with a paltry 8.9 % each, barely passing an otherwise weak showing by Rick Santorum (6.7 %), Rand Paul (4.5 %), Ben Carson (3.4 %), Mike Huckabee (2.2 %) and Rick Perry (1.1 %).
GOP 2016 candidates Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, and John Kasich each received "zero" straw poll votes.
Political analysts view this straw poll victory for Senator Ted Cruz as reinforcing the idea that America's Conservative voters are deciding very early on to consolidate behind the best qualified genuine conservative candidates, and NOT repeat the disaster of the "Political Circular Firing Squad" in 2012 when Mitt Romney and the Karl Rove Establishment GOP defeated in detail otherwise excellent candidates such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.
Shown below (photograph courtesy of conservative political consultant Kevin Wright) are ten of the estimated twenty-five Ted Cruz Florida grassroots supporters who attended the FFPC event.
Their attendance was noteworthy in that most of the Ted Cruz attendees received only three days advance notice of the event.
Douglas Coggeshall, a Conservative Evangelical Christian who is building a Florida grassroots organization for all of Florida's 67 counties, challenged the FFPC event's attendees to build effective county-level grassroots organizations NOW, to defeat the Jeb Bush GOP $ 100 million dollar juggernaut in the GOP Presidential State primaries in 2016.
Coggeshall invited event attendees to participate in the July 18 Tampa planning meeting for the Ted Cruz Florida Grassroots Victory Campaign.
The Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC) event was superbly moderated by John Stemberger (Florida attorney) who presented a comprehensive examination of individual candidate strengths and weaknesses prior to the straw poll vote. Discussion leads included Carl Stevens, Sara Johnson, Florida Senator Alan Hayes, Bryan Empric, Karin Hoffman and Pastor Kurt Kelly.
Discussion leaders Carl Jackson (columnist) and Karin Hoffman (Tea Party national leader) pointed to Ted Cruz's extraordinary record of accomplishment while serving as U.S. Senator, and his unique quality of NOT having "flip-flopped" on any campaign issues, unlike GOP 2016 presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, Scott Walker.
Florida State Senator Alan Hayes received a standing ovation as the Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC) recognized his accomplishments and dedication to successfully passing legislation to protect unborn children in Florida.
Sen. Hayes’ powerful leadership in the Florida Pro-Life movement was enthusiastically applauded.
Douglas Coggeshall
Ted Cruz Florida Grassroots Victory Campaign
Ted-Cruz-2016@Engineering-Excellence.US
(727) 485-6220
http://www.engineering-excellence.us/ted_cruz_2016_florida.html
.