Straw Poll

This week, we'll take our first sampling of your picks for the general election, but first, last week's poll results: Last week we asked you if you'd consider writing posts for The Seminal a la Daily Kos or Open Left. I'm pleased to report that 43% of you said you would write for us, and 38% said you'd consider it. As soon as we get the system built, we'll open it up for you all to try! This week,

San Francisco's only Republican Straw Poll was canceled because of too many Ron Paul supporters. After Fred Thompson gave a speech, Ron Paul supporters started clamoring to vote. The woman in charge told the angry crowd the vote was canceled because she claimed too many people didn't pay the $33 dinner fee in order to vote, but when the Ron Paul supporters offered to pay $33 each for dinner and the right to vote, she then said there was no more discussion, there simply would be no vote this year. The video is chaotic with everyone yelling at the same time.read more | digg story

This week, as the primaries draw near and the endorsements start flying, The Seminal wants to know who you are voting for. But first, last week’s results: Last week we asked you if the U.S. should cut off aid to Pakistan. 67% of respondents said that we should, while 33% said we should not. Ish, possibly echoing the sentiments of many, said: I would support continuing to give strictly humanitarian aid to NGOs in Pakistan (through USAID for example). But aid to Musharraf should cease. I would agree. Perhaps this explains some of the votes in the “No” column. This week, we reprise our primary straw poll to see if your views have changed about the candidates. We’ll be polling Democratic candidates this week and Republicans next week. Last time, Barack Obama and Mike Gravel won for the Democrats.  So, if the Democratic presidential primary were held today, who would you vote for? Register your choice in the sidebar at right. Email this post...

In the Value Voters onsite poll by The Family Research Council, Mike Huckabee finished on top with no other candidate within reasonable reach. Mitt Romney managed a narrow lead of 35 votes over Huckabee after a premiere voting event that took place at The Family Research Council's 2nd Annual Washington Briefing.This poll was also sponsored by Christian conservative groups such as Focus on The Family (Dr. James Dobson) and etc.Below are the recently released results in their entirety.Which of the following candidates for Presidentwould you most likely vote for? Mitt Romney 1595 27.62% Mike Huckabee 1565 27.15% Ron Paul 865 14.98% Fred Thompson 564 9.77% Undecided 329 5.70% Sam Brownback 297 5.14% Duncan Hunter 140 2.42% Tom Tancredo 133 2.30% Rudy Giuliani 107 1.85% John McCain 81 1.40% Not Voting 67 1.16% Barack Obama 9 0.16% Joe Biden 5 0.09% Hillary Clinton 5 0.09% John Edwards 4 0.07% Dennis Kucinich 4 0.07% Christopher Dodd 2 0.03% Bill Richardson 2 0.03%

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney narrowly won a straw poll of mostly Christian conservative voters at the Family Research Council’s Values Voters Summit held this weekend in the nation’s capital. The former Massachusetts governor won almost 28 percent of the 5,776 votes cast, edging out former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who finished 30 [...]

H/T to IHeartHuckabee Blog: Huckabee Needs Your Help - NOW! Romney and Paul supporters are crashing the Family Research... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

But MSNBC sees it differently:ROMNEY LOSES NV STRAW POLL***UPDATE***Correction: An earlier version of this post had incorrect straw poll results. Romney was NOT fourth, but second. The post below is now correct.From NBC/NJ's Erin McPikeSPARKS, Nev. – Ron Paul won the GOP presidential straw poll conducted by organizers at the Conservative Leadership Conference held at the Nugget Casino this weekend “by a large margin,” according to an organizer.Paul won with 33 percent, Romney came in second with 16 percent and Duncan Hunter was just behind with 15 percent. "Undecided" was fourth with 11 percent, and Thompson and Giuliani were next and ahead of the rest of the pack -- all in single digits. Raw numbers haven't been provided, but there were approximately 430 registrants at the opening of the conference.Although many of the Republican presidential teams had surrogates representing them at the conference, Mitt Romney and Duncan Hunter were the only candidates to speak at the confere

Congratulations to Gov. Huckabee, he WON the Values Voter Debate straw poll: Here are the official results of the straw poll conducted before and then immediately after the Values Voter debate. The... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

OK, admittedly its was teeny tiny straw poll but he mopped the floor with every single member of the opposition at once. The results:Paul 216Romney 14Hunter 10Thompson 9Giuliani 7Huckabee 6McCain 2Brownback 2Tancredo 0Cox 0

UPDATE: IHeartHuckabee Blog has condensed this speech into one video, check it out HERE Just found the videos of Governor Huckabee's Straw Poll speech, if you already saw this, its worth watching... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Tommy Thompson waits to be introduced by the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa. REUTERS/Joshua Lott Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday after a disappointing sixth place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll. Thompson bet it all on the straw poll hoping a decent finish there would be a sign that his campaign was turning around but he lost that bet. The poll on Saturday placed him ahead of candidates who decided either not to show up to the event or they have not even entered the race yet. Duncan Hunter and John Cox also finished behind Thompson with less than 1% which is about where they have been polling. Thompson said if he did not finish in the top two in Saturday’s straw poll that he would withdrawal from the race. “I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as governor of Wisconsin and secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as president, but I respect

The Governor & Mrs Huckabee, Looking Very Happy After The Votes Were Counted Its the day after the Straw Poll and needless to say I am thrilled about the Straw Poll results. The media is buzzing... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

I was kind of excited about the Iowa Straw Poll today. I know the results aren’t usually even a very good indicator for who the party nominee will be, but it’s still another marker in the process, like the debates, that give us a chance to sort of do a little regrouping of our own to determine who we might like. The results are as follows: Mitt Romney: 4,516 Mike Huckabee: 2,587 Sam Brownback: 2,192 Tom Tancredo: 1,961 Ron Paul: 1,305 Tommy Thompson: 1,039   Overall I think think any of this is a very big surprise. John McCain, Rudi Giuliani and Fred Thompson didn’t seem to take it very seriously, which is probably why they weren’t even there. This made it pretty simple for Mitt Romney, the richest candidate in the race. He spent a lot of time in Iowa and it looks like he got what he paid for. But is that going to change the fact that no Mormon has been elected President? As Presidential as Romney may look, I just don’t think Christian America is going

I was kind of excited about the Iowa Straw Poll today. I know the results aren’t usually even a very good indicator for who the party nominee will be, but it’s still another marker in the process, like the debates, that give us a chance to sort of do a little regrouping of our own to determine who we might like. The results are as follows: Mitt Romney: 4,516 Mike Huckabee: 2,587 Sam Brownback: 2,192 Tom Tancredo: 1,961 Ron Paul: 1,305 Tommy Thompson: 1,039   Overall I think think any of this is a very big surprise. John McCain, Rudi Giuliani and Fred Thompson didn’t seem to take it very seriously, which is probably why they weren’t even there. This made it pretty simple for Mitt Romney, the richest candidate in the race. He spent a lot of time in Iowa and it looks like he got what he paid for. But is that going to change the fact that no Mormon has been elected President? As Presidential as Romney may look, I just don’t think Christian America is going

Governor Huckabee Jammin' With The King At Todays Straw Poll More updates from the Straw Poll.. Bob Vander Plaats reports Governor Huckabee is currently winning a "straw poll within the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Is everyone out there getting excited about the Straw Poll tomorrow? In only a few short hours we will know the outcome of this much anticipated event. I am not sure what type of coverage the news... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

This Straw Poll Is Only A GOP FundraiserFred Thompson Has Not Even DeclaredNo Wonder Rank and File Republicans Are Dissatisfied... Even though it’s a mock election, candidates will begin numbering their days. At least the Iowa Straw Poll may start eliminating this overcrowded field. Let's start the candidate elimination:John McCain's candidacy is likely finished - he will not participate in the straw poll.Three-wife Rudy Giuliani will not participate in the straw poll and hides behind a strawman-priest and his need for privacyTommy Thompson will likely drop out soonRon Paul is a nutThe Illusion Of A Winner - "Fools Gold"Fool's Gold - Also known as Iron Pyrite, fool's gold is a gold colored mineral that is often mistaken for real gold. Investopedia Commentary - Unlike the real stuff, fool's gold is relatively worthless.Fools Gold. Dictionary.com.Investopedia.com. Investopedia Inc.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Fools Gold The unelectable winner will be candidate "flip flop

US Political news this week is almost exclusively focused on this Saturday’s Iowa Straw Poll. In talking with friends, it quickly became evident that few understand what, exactly, the Iowa Straw Poll is. Many had it confused with the caucus (Iowa’s version of a primary) while others thought it was where the Republican Party Leaders chose their candidate. Not only is it a completely non-binding vote, but only one candidate has ever gone from winning the Iowa Straw Poll to winning the Republican nomination. In reality, the Straw Poll is simply the largest Republican party fundraiser in Iowa. In 1999 23,000 people paid $25 each to participate in the Ames Straw Poll. That’s a cool half-million dollars to start with. This year they’re expecting 40,000 people at $35 each, or a cool $1.4 million. But that’s not the half of it. Every candidate interested in participating is required to rent a 45,000 sq. ft. space, tents, tables, and chairs. They also typ

Here are the stats from the Iowa Warren County Fair Straw Poll, held over the weekend that Governor Huckabee WON!! This is a HUGE win! I think this is evidence of the momentum that is growing through... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Straight from the Huckabee campaign, very exciting news!!!! Governor Huckabee recently won a Straw Poll in Warren County,Iowa. Here is some information on the Straw Poll: To be eligible to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

If the Republican Primary were today, who would you vote for? But first, last weeks results: Barack Obama and Mike Gravel took a clear lead in our straw poll of Democratic Presidential candidates, with 33% and 24% of the vote respectively. Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich, and John Edwards all finished in the second tier with around 8% of the vote each. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden brought up the rear. The Seminal readers clearly represent a different sample than the nation’s pollsters are working with, as national polls nearly always put Hillary Clinton at the top of the Democratic list. This week, we ask you to pick a candidate from the other side of the aisle. If the Republican Primary were today, who would you vote for? If you decide to vote for “Other”, please consider leaving an anonymous note in the comments here on who you would like to see running. Votes are being counted now in the sidebar. Email this post...

This week in our poll we take a look at which Democratic candidate you would vote for (don’t worry, we’ll do Republicans next week). But first, the results: Last week readers of The Seminal spoke out clearly with respect to the gun control debate. In the most lopsided result we’ve ever had, 71% of readers voted that all firearms should be legal. The three other choices, favoring gun control at various levels, each barely registered 10% of the vote. Thank you for your participation! It is always enlightening to see what our community is thinking. Now, take a moment and tell us which Democratic candidate you would vote for if the Democratic Primary was today. The poll is located to your right in the sidebar, and if you choose “Other” as your vote, please leave a comment here and let us know who you would vote for and why. Email this post...

 Presented by AFA- American Family Association So far folks on the republican side is Fred Thompson is in the lead in this poll with 7547 votes, the next would be Gingrich with 3084. Of the democrats Edwards is in the lead with 445 next Obama with 423. Is this race winnable for the republicans? Is Thompson our chance to keep the presidency out of the democrats hands?

Another measure of early support for potential 2008 candidates is merchandise sales. This is an excerpt from what Hotline had to say on it: If America is truly a market-driven society, then the sales at "Political Americana" in downtown Washington should tell us a little something about which politicians the voters are willing to invest in. The store, located on the corner of Penn and 14th, carries everything from full-size Ronald Reagan cutouts to Washington Monument trinkets. But it also carries a healthy stock of 2008 campaign paraphernalia (all home-made of course) and tracks who is leading what could be called the Corner Store Straw Poll. Republicans were much more spread out: Condoleezza Rice was the fan-favorite. Her ’08 buttons outsold all other GOPers with 14% of the 239 sales. Also in the mix were Mitt Romney with 13% and Rudy Giuiliani, carrying 12%. Where was John McCain, you ask? At a meager 7%, fewer than rival GOP maverick Chuck Hagel (9%). Sure, it’s