Posted on 03/02/2007 6:41:14 AM PST by pissant
The FOX television talking heads were gushing over the usual suspects- Mitt Romney, Rudy Gulliani and John McCain- when the results of the South Carolina Republican straw poll rolled in and left the pundits stuttering and speechless in mid sentence.
In a surprise result not predicted by any of the national political commentators, California Congressman Duncan Hunterfinished second with 110 votes behind Rudy Gulliani's 123 votes with 71 of the 75 precincts reporting.
Arizona Sen. John McCain was third with 86 votes, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 59 votes, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback had 68 votes, and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee rounded out the front-runners with 18 votes.
The underdog Hunter has now taken first in an Arizona straw poll and second in the South Carolina.
The charm of Duncan Hunter is that he is authentic. In a world of hyper-branding and packaging... where politicial speeches sound as if they are the result of focus group studies... Hunter comes across as unscripted, unrehearsed and firm in his beliefs.
...And do not dismiss his unwavering support for Border Patrol Agents Ramos & Compeon. It is the stuff that resonates with people.
As I wrote in The Washington Times back in November, Hunter has a message that connects with republican voters...particularly those in early primary states such as Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire. His message is one of peace through strength, conservative social values and conservative illegal immigration policy.
FABULOUS NEWS!!!! He's the hope of the Republican party, whether they know it or not.
Send this tape to EVERYONE you can think of who is conservative. It will finish that phoney Giuliani for good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBtPIrEleM
And this is why he resonates with me. Duncan Hunter for 2008.
The Rudy victory doesn't sit good with me...
Thanks for the info. I like what I read.
I'm with you VanDeKoik
I'm almost 50 and it's been a long long time since someone has energized me - Reagan was the last. I've contributed, promoted him amongst friends and will volunteer time when needed. It's great finding someone with real conviction and not with his finger in the wind waiting to see what someone wants to hear.
The later results, still not final, had it Rudy 168 and Duncan 162. There is still the chance that he won this. But by the time that is determined, it will be buried in the weekend press of funerals for fallen women and such.
"He has no chance" my ass! This was HUGE for Hunter.
"A man amongst boys."
Amen to that
This might make some of the Rudyphiles look over their shoulder a bit. They have been assuming that the South and Midwest would jump right in lockstep with Rudy. Ain't happening. This is actually a repudiation of his liberal views.
Hunter came in second with no paid staff, only volunteers.
McCain had paid staff and robo phone calls. Romney advertised on TV!
And Hunter beat them both simply with REAL grassroots support.
Guess the well-informed people aren't falling for this phony.
I have to wonder if that hasn't happened, and if it accounts for the lack of final numbers.
I don't know if the straw poll is the kind where numbers are posted while the voting is still taking place or not. If it is, I can well imagine a sizable number of votes coming from people who were resigned to voting for the "electable" candidate, but upon seing Hunter's numbers rising significantly and went with their heart instead.
I dunno, is it just me or does he look like a young RR in that pic?
Can we please put the "electability" canard behind us and begin the real work of promoting a strong conservative? The only reason Rudy polls highly is because of name recognition... he doesn't do so well with the conservative base when his positions are evaluated. Like it or not, a GOP candidate can not win without the conservative base.
Rudy is the MSM annointed candidate because they can easily destroy him later. Duncan Hunter is the ignored candidate because he is solid. It's about time the GOP chooses its own candidate, not the three the MSM want us to have because they have been made celebrities.
"With 81 of 92 precincts reporting, Giuliani garnered 158 votes. California Rep. Duncan Hunter was running in a close second with 152 votes and Arizona Sen. John McCain was third with 116 votes, according to county GOP officials."
Why is it taking so long on those other 11 precincts? It's not like we are counting falling chads.
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