According to the straw poll, Hunter came in second only behind Rudy...and it was only by 18 votes!
Keep up the good work people! He's getting there!
Posted on 03/01/2007 4:22:47 PM PST by meg88
Presidential rivals grasp at straw-poll glory By AARON GOULD SHEININ asheinin@thestate.com
FILE PHOTOGRAPH/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani More photos Anonymous critics aim at Romney Spartanburg — Agnes Spong thinks she’s landed in political heaven. The lifelong Republican from Upstate New York retired to Spartanburg two years ago and quickly discovered she was among friends.
“I think it was just about the greatest thing in the world,” Spong said Monday at Wade’s Restaurant prior to a campaign appearance by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
Spong is not alone in thinking this Upstate bastion of Republicanism is the greatest thing since Barry Goldwater.
Brownback and about a half-dozen other GOP presidential hopefuls are spending thousands of dollars and making countless campaign phone calls and personal visits to the county in advance of tonight’s straw poll vote.
The Spartanburg County Republican Party’s 93 precincts will meet to elect officers and county executive committee members. Then, participants will “vote” for their choice for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.
It’s a long way from primary day — but you wouldn’t know it.
“It’s been awful,” said Jimmy Moore, organizer at Westview A, one of the largest Republican precincts in the state.
“I have literally every single day gotten 10 calls from these people (candidates). It just gets annoying. If this is what’s happening a year out from the primary, what the heck is going to happen later?”
County party Chairman Rick Beltram said candidates are pouring money and energy into Spartanburg:
nþBrownback and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani have sent thousands of direct-mail pieces to Republican voters.
nþFormer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is running TV ads and has done direct mail.
nþThose three, along with U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., have visited the county in recent weeks.
CNN reported on the straw poll Wednesday. Beltram said Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes” will broadcast straw-poll results live from county party headquarters tonight.
As Beltram explained the attention, his other phone line rang; it was The New York Times.
“The whole week, it’s been constant like this,” he said.
Why?
The answer depends on the campaign. For McCain, the S.C. front-runner, a good showing confirms his status. For Brownback, who’s on a different tier than McCain and Giuliani, it’s an opportunity to break through.
Moore agrees but says there is another reason: money. The winner gets to tell donors, “See, those Spartanburg County Republicans down in South Carolina love me, and that’s why you should give me money,” he said.
It also illustrates a candidate’s ability to win in a key county in a key state. George W. Bush won 58 percent of the vote in Spartanburg County in 2000. McCain had 36 percent. Bush won the state overall with 53 percent.
The GOP grip on the county is fierce. Gov. Mark Sanford took 61 percent of the county’s vote last year, up from 59 percent in 2002.
Even when Democrats win statewide, they typically lose Spartanburg. Democrat Jim Hodges defeated Republican incumbent Gov. David Beasley in 1998 but lost Spartanburg 48-52 percent. However, keeping the race close in Spartanburg also may be a key to Democratic success.
Jim Rex came as close as any Democrat, but still lost when he defeated Republican Karen Floyd for state education superintendent last year. Rex lost the county, where Floyd lives, by only about 200 votes.
The Spartanburg County Republican Party has been holding straw polls since 2001, Beltram said. The first one in late 2001 was for the 2002 gubernatorial primary. Then-Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler won — but not by much.
“Even though he won, people went back and said, ‘Wow, he’s vulnerable,’” Beltram said. Sure enough, Peeler was the top vote-getter in the primary but lost the runoff to Sanford.
In late 2003, the straw poll for the U.S. Senate primary gave Greenville’s Jim DeMint a boost. DeMint won the straw poll, finished second in the primary then swamped Beasley in the runoff.
All the attention is exhausting but encouraging, Beltram said.
“When I was elected chairman in 1999, I told delegates my No. 1 goal was to make the relevance of (the) Spartanburg County party as high as I can take it. That’s what we’ve done.”
Reach Gould Sheinin at (803) 771-8658.
WHY SPARTANBURG?
Tonight’s straw poll: The event has grabbed national media attention.
sw
Actually no. If what is written here everyday were true - no amount of organization would matter - diehard conservatives would never support Rudy - according to so many here on FR. Yet, he as won the poll. Won it!
sw
Exactly. All we have heard was that Rudy would lose in SC. The fact is he won! No need to pay much attention to the nay sayers here - if there ever was any(s).
I've never posted it before.
According to NapkinUser, who LIVES in South Carolina, the people attending that straw poll are not all diehard conservatives by any stretch, and he hasn't won it yet.
Not the first time I've seen it.
I'd love to be surprised, dirtboy, because the attack of social conservatives on the supporters of other Republican candidates is devastating to this forum, if not to the GOP chances in 2008. And the consequences of the Rat victory are really bad.
I assume Hunter will be participating in the first NH debate held next month. If he does really well there, I guess there's a chance. My guess is that he'd have to shine a couple more times after that to really attract attention.
It's been posted here several times, and without links so I don't know that it's true, that he's collected $300,000 in pledges for his presidential run. That's pathetic. THAT'S WAY LESS THAN I HAVE IN MY 401k. If so, that's pathetic. And what I have isn't pledges, it's real money.
Howard Dean tried to run an internet campaign in 2004. Gosh, he was even the frontrunner before he crashed and burned.
Draw your own conclusions, but if our socially conservative candidate is relying on You Tube to win, we're in deep doo-doo in my opinion.
And yes, congrats to you on a second place win.
At least you don't see the same thing 10 times per thread.
I think that's the real news here(s).
The word here was that Rudy would NEVER make it in SC. He WON! That's the facts. And that's pretty exciting. And it's pretty news worthy as well.
According to the straw poll, Hunter came in second only behind Rudy...and it was only by 18 votes!
Keep up the good work people! He's getting there!
Umm,this isn't a South Carolina poll.
This was ONE county in South Carolina. You obviously no nothing about Spartanburg County or its power structure.
I notice you also mention nothing about Hunter coming in so close. I thought he was supposed to be insignificant?
How small IS spartansburg? I would think with 75 precincts it's a huge place (we don't have that many precincts I don't think in Prince William) and I would have thought a nationally covered straw poll would be a big deal, but they only had a few hundred votes?
Actually, at last official count - (71 of 75 precincts in), Giuliani had 123 and Hunter had 110, so it was only 13 votes. :) I expect the final official count will be in shortly?
"I certainly hope this gets the Hunter folks back on their own threads trying to build him up rather than trying to tear Rudy down(s).
And yes, congrats to you on a second place win."
No, it won't change that. And it certainly won't when you have that attitude. What a complete jerk.
Look, you can try to spin this anyway you want - it's a free country. Fact - everyone said that Rudy wouldn't make it in SC. He won! You Rudy haters were wrong. You now have less credibility. And, frankly, you didn't have much to being with.
(looks at tagline)
"Conservatives are pragmatic and realistic!"
Sorry, won't do.
"Conservatives are not liberals."
Fixed.
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