Because those thousands of Palin supporters were not allowed to cast ballots. In order to cast a ballot, you have to purchase a ticket for a fundraiser for the state Republican Party. Those tickets were quickly snapped up by party hacks who wanted to ensure their candidate got a good showing. That's how Ron Paul ended up in second place, only about 150 votes behind Bachmann. You think that is an indicator of how Ron Paul will do when the real primary season starts?
Then you had announced frontrunner candidates like Rick Perry and Mitt Romney who only got a few votes because they decided not to expend their energies on it, because it is such a worthless poll that is easily manipulated by party hacks.
Guess how well 2008 nominee John McCain did in the same straw poll back in 2007?
He got a whopping 0.7% of the vote.
And in 1987, Pat Robertson was the winner of this poll. Yes, the same Pat Robertson who claims that God diverts hurricanes for him.
So basically the Ames Straw Poll is nothing but a joke...a diversion to help get bored journalists through the dog days of summer.
That's quite a charge!
the Ames Straw Poll is nothing but a joke...a diversion to help get bored journalists through the dog days of summer.
It's a fundraiser, designed to be a bit of fun. It's not a serious referendum.