Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback's third-place finish was mostly overshadowed by Mike Huckabee's second place surprise, but his campaign says the straw poll gave his campaign a boost and established his credibility
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson's announcement Sunday ending his presidential run didn't come as much of a surprise. Several GOP campaigns said Sunday afternoon they anticipated such an announcement coming this week after Thompson's sixth-place finish in Saturday's Republican Party of Iowa straw poll in Ames.
See phots and videos of IowaPolitics.com's covearge of the Ames GOP Straw Poll:
Read coverage and commentary from Iowa blogs on the Ames Straw Poll:
Here's a quick look at the winners and losers out of today's straw poll.
Here's a a statement from U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback's campaign at the conclusion of the Ames Straw Poll:
The state Democratic Party's Carrie Giddins, on the ground at the straw poll, had this to say:
Campaign manager Rick Davis:
An RPI official explained more at the end of the night:
Straw poll winner Mitt Romney took a jab at national GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain for not participating in today's event.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said for all purposes, he won the Iowa straw poll Saturday in Ames with a strong second-place finish. He also celebrated holding frontrunner Mitt Romney to well under 50 percent of the vote.
14,302 ballots cast
RESULTS
The results will be announced beginning with last place, working up to the top finisher, U.S. Rep. Steve King said from the podium, comparing it to Miss America.
RPI says tonight's hour-plus delay in reporting the straw poll results is due to a glitch with a voting machine.
It's now more than 60 minutes past the time when the results were supposed to be announced.
The Atlantic online's Marc Ambinder is reporting that the delay in announcing the results is due to a voting machine malfunction.
"Ron Paul! Ron Paul!"
With under 15 minutes to go until the final tallies are announced, the state Republican Party is estimating that nearly 15,000 people cast votes in the straw poll. That is well under the tally predicted before the event.
With the campaign speeches out of the way, and the rush to the polls subsiding, Ken Hoagland, communications director with the supporters of the Fair Tax, said, "No matter who wins today, the fair tax won."
Click below to see video of straw poll attendees discussing the candidate they're backing.
In the Duncan Hunter camp, the few dozen supporters enjoyed homemade ice cream from a machine that traveled from San Diego to the Ames event. Roy Tyler, communications director, grilled a peaches-n-cream variety of sweet corn slathered with barbecue sauce across the way.
With roughly an hour until the poll results are released, the crowds in the camps outside are starting to thin as everybody moves back into the coliseaum. Inside the Tancredo tent, one of the last couples remaining is Gene and Betsy Momiz from Oakland, Iowa. Both cast ballots for Tancredo earlier in the day, and remain optimistic about his chances.
Fifteen minutes remain until the polls close at the straw poll and there isn't much of a push to get the vote out. Shortly after the speeches ended around 4 p.m., much of the estimated crowd of 40,000 began filing off campus.
Ron Paul supporters Jeremiah Van Doren, 25, of Topeka, Kan., and Chris Rhoades, 32, of Nashville, mingled in the crowd with their yellow "Ron Paul Revolution" t-shirts. The letters in "revolution" were reversed to spell out "love."
Several Huckabee supporters seem to have wandered off from their home base and are checking out the other campaigns before everybody else moves back inside for the results. Outside the Ron Paul tent, Larry Kerkman, a Huckabee supporter, is campaigning for children's rights initiatives.
During the intermission between the speeches and the results announcement the Brownback camp had a climbing wall, music and air-conditioned tent. (Romney's camp also had a climbing wall)
Click below to read how other outlets covered the straw poll
Actor Stephen Baldwin flew into Ames Saturday to support Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback.
Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party, said an estimated 40,000 people flooded the Iowa State University campus Saturday for the straw poll events. About 25,000 or 30,000 are expected to cast ballots.
Emcee Laura Ingraham, ending the candidate speech rally, said everybody understands what's at stake with the next presidential election and then asked the masses a series of questions. She asked the crowd if they want a country controlled by special interests, if they want an "evolving" Constitution and if they wanted a leader who believes a million people a year can stream across the borders.
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback ended the day with a crowd of supporters cheering his name and waving blue signs. Focusing on family issues and tax reform, Brownback backed up his stances with his voting record.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said he's the only candidate talking about Medicare, and how the health care system needs strengthened. Uninsured children need health care coverage and it doesn't have to be done through socialized programs touted by Democrats, he said.
Before Tommy Thompson took the stage, Wayne LaPierre, vice-president of the NRA, made his second appearance of the event, restating the importance of gun rights.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, used his 15 minutes of speech time to touch on topics ranging from national security to the financial threat China imposes.
Before Duncan Hunter arrived on stage, U.S. Rep. Steve King took the podium and spoke on the necessity of establishing the fair tax.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he's not a candidate who can buy votes, or even rent them, but he's a candidate that can produce. He related a Republican loss of the White House to the story of creation and said candidates had the "leaves of Republicans, but not the fruit," as the Hilton Coliseum crowd erupted.
The "Ron Paul revolution" has hit Ames. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters cheered as the Texas congressman took the stage.
Chicago businessman John Cox, probably the biggest unknown out of the slate of candidates, said he knows what it's like to be the long shot.
Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo's address to the crowd focused around his stance on values and immigration, zeroing in on the theme of great tests in American history in relation to current issues.
Mitt Romney spoke first and said the Republican party needs to return America to its strength - strong families, a strong military and a strong economy.
They are introducing the candidiates, and the crowd is cheering even though the microphone appears to be working. With Romney's crowd seat, they are cheering "we want Mitt" with all candidates standing on stage.
Before the candidates delivered their stump speeches and worked to differentiate themselves from other GOP candidates, Rep. Tom Latham rallied Republican supporters.
Executive vice-president of the NRA Wayne LaPierre spoke just before noon on the main stage, addressing the issue of upholding Second Amendment in upcoming elections.
"If you want to make a difference you have to get involved," said Aina Brown of Johnston. She supports Huckabee. Her 16-year-old daughter Elizabeth is soaking it all in and is excited after learning about the process from a civics class.
"It is a spectacle" said Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan as he strolled the grounds of the straw poll.
Thompson campaign workers look optimistic about a possible make-or-break vote for the former Wisconsin governor in Ames today.
Former Congressman J.C. Watts spoke about the value of education Saturday as a surrogate for ED in 08.
Supporters of Alan Keyes promote their candidate, who is not currently in the running for the GOP nomination.
Tancredo Iowa campaign director Bill Salier said he is excited about Congressman Tom Tancredo's potential outcome at today's event. He said the congressman has a lot of momentum coming into today's straw poll.
"It is kinda fun, it is like the state fair," Kelli Watson of Ames said. Watson is a registered independent not voting today. She was on a walk with her nephew when she checked out the event. She said she is going to wonder and look around with Chihuahua, Lovebug.
The crowd started pouring onto the Hilton Colesium grounds at 8:30 this morning, and it is obvious there is a strong presence for Texas Congresman Ron Paul. Vehicles from Washington state and West Virginia were decked out in support of Paul. Paul supporters also lined the streets offering tickets for those Iowans wanting to cast votes today for the congressman.
Entrants in the IowaPolitics.com straw poll prediction contest overwhelmingly picked former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to finish first in today's straw poll.
With the Iowa caucuses less than six months away, an unscientific survey of Iowa's Republican county chairs shows more committing to a presidential candidate compared to a similar survey conducted in the first months of the year. Of the 42 Republican county chairs who responded to the recent IowaPolitics.com survey, 16 said they were committed to a candidate, compared to just six who were committed in the earlier survey.
The eight GOP presidential hopefuls in attendance will each have 15 minutes to deliver their straw poll addresses. At the conclusion of their 15-minute speech, the microphone will go dead.
The eight presidential candidates will not be the only ones taking the stage at Hilton Coliseum. Several organizations will also be holding rallies in the arena: the Fair Tax organization at 9 a.m., National Rifleman's Association at 11 a.m., Newt Gingrich and the American Solutions Workshop at 3:30 p.m. and the ONE Campaign at 4 p.m.
Click the links below to read commentary from inside and outside Iowa
The Story County auditor's office, with assistance from the state auditor's office, will help provide oversight and assistance at Saturday's Republican Party of Iowa straw poll.
