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.
The fact that it didn't happen seems to be saying something significant... To borrow from the NY lyrics, if it can't happen here, it can't happen anywhere.
"Rudy is on a roll. This is big news for him. He didn't even try very hard in this straw poll and he still won."
He's a national celebrity, and didn't even trounce Duncan Hunter.
I'll bet you that 99.5% of the people you ask on the street today have NEVER heard of Duncan Hunter, while most will have heard of Rudy.
The more Hunter's name gets around, the more the people will like him.
Count me as part of that .5%! Got my Hunter bumperstickers (I live in Miami FL) AND I'm signed on to volunteer for the Hunter campaign here in FL!
It's not over yet.
I agree with what she said too, but Republicans walk on egg shells when it comes to pleasing the liberal media. The Republican candidates will have to be PERFECT leading up to the '08 Presidential primaries.
Of those 110, I bet 2/3's of them were Freepers. I am not convinced yet, but am getting interested.
The fact that Hunter with ZERO press (note the surprise in the FoxNews reporter's tone as observed by JimRob earlier) nearly beat (and may, in fact still beat) the song-and-dance man with all the flashing lights, confetti, and neon arrows pointing at him says quite a bit.
If someone with one leg finished second in the Boston Marathon by :10, that would be quite an achievement. Plus, this is only a straw poll, and I look forward to the next.
It's great to see you, cgk. I hope that you are feeling better.
Cheers,
sl
Sure. Duncan's a member of the GOP, he'll not only support Rudy, he'll give a speech in favor at the convention if Rudy's the nominee.
Why, you think he's going to go home and hold his breath and kick and scream because his personal purity standards weren't met, like many here? No, Duncan wants the GOP to defeat Hillary and left, like most of us.
I disagree.
We are talking VERY informed people here. I think the PR is probably irrelevant. If the conservatives were going to dump Rudy for a 'conservative,' this was their opportunity.
Don't count on it. He seems to be the invisible man, but he gets my vote!
I agree. Can they hook up together?
It's important to have a rigorous debate of policies, public officials and issues. It's the core of what FR is about and why many of us joined. It's good to question Rudy. It's good to question Duncan Hunter. It doesn't make us less conservative by holding the candidates' feet to the fire.
It does make us less free if there's only one view that is the conservative view. Everyone is free to say whatever he or she will. There's just no saying what the reaction will be.
Anyone have a link to the poll itself? I'm checking Fox website and they have something saying Rudy 128 and Hunter 110 Is that correct?
Because he'll pull votes from the Dems? That ought to tell ya something!
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — In a sign of what die-hard Republicans may think of the field of presidential contenders, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was leading 10 other candidates Thursday in a straw poll in conservative Spartanburg County.
With 71 of 75 precincts reporting, Giuliani garnered 123 votes. California Rep. Duncan Hunter was running in second place with 110 votes, and Arizona Sen. John McCain was third with 86 votes, according to county GOP officials.
YOU CAN READ THE REST HERE FOX NEWS
If Duncan Hunter's 2nd place finish is real, then there is no doubt that that is the real news of last night.
A true conservative has jumped into the top tier of those running.
He beats Rudy hands down with military, foreign policy, and US government experience. Hunter is a veteran, airborne Ranger.
He is the man of the hour!
And he doesn't murder innocent babies. He would also put California in play. We know that Hillary will take NY from Giuliani.
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