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.
That because in New Jersey; as in most of the surrounding states and all big cities; the dogs and the dead people always vote Democrat.
I guess McLame had his people ship in some appropriately filled out ballots last night during the counting lull...
So Rudy has the endorsement of the worst announcer in the history of Monday Night Football.
But Rudy is even ahead out in New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Penn etc. over Hillary/Obama.
The big support for Rudy at this stage of the election seems to me a lot like polling on movie sites where people indicate which movie they're most eager to see. It's usually based on the trailer, which is designed to whip up excitement ahead of the actual release.
Once the movie starts getting reviewed, though, and word-of-mouth kicks in, things can have a way of changing dramatically.
Given his perceived law-enforcement strength, I wonder if Rudy is the political equivalent of "Dick Tracy."
I'm an Ohioan, so I know that the state is traditionally conservative republican but is turning in a liberal direction due the liberal's better gameplan at getting their message out.
I do know, though, that the power brokers in Ohio will not endorse anyone early.
It's wide open in this state.
Are you just trying to pick a fight? It is completely true that if you set up a religious caucus, and use the word "caucus" in your title, the rules of this forum forbid people from other religions from coming into your forum and trashing your religion.
So why do you claim I am lying?
I called the ACU and talked to Ian who told me that he thinks Hunter was on today at 8:30 a.m. I swear his article said tomorrow. We were cut off in the middle of our conversation, so I didn't get a final answer. Ice storm here, power on, but phone lines were down for a couple of hours.
Upstate New York - Duncan Hunter Country!
Oh boy, now you'll upset them.
Personally some of them sound downright cultlike. Then again it is a cult of personality.
So Rudy has the endorsement of the worst announcer in the history of Monday Night Football.--you
Sounds like bad casting. Trenchancy and touchdowns are like oil and water.
He was on this morning. I was busy at the time but I actually had thought he was speaking at that time in the evening. No matter, though, CSpan DID NOT CARRY IT.
Here's a thread and story on his speech this morning:
CPAC Presidential Lineup: Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793999/posts?page=1,20
Cult-like fanaticism is not a characteristic of the Rudyphilic but the Rudyphobic contrary to your FALSE statement. It isn't even close. The Rudyphilic are not the ones huffing and puffing and threatening to blow the house down if they don't get their way.
Thanks for the link. I don't understand what that article is saying though. Hunter "won" as their first choice but was tied for seventh as regards "acceptable" candidates?
What does that mean? And who was the most "acceptable"?
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