Straw Poll helps Republican presidential race

(Tim) Pawlenty was the successful governor of a Democratic-leaning state, and he had, many thought, appeal to the varied wings of the Republican party, particularly religious and economic conservatives. On paper, he looked the part of a top presidential contender.

 

But looking the part isn't enough — a potential president has to play it too, and that means demonstrating that he or she can appeal to actual voters. That's why the Straw Poll was, despite its many detractors, ultimately a useful exercise: It gave actual voters the opportunity to pick the candidate they preferred, not the one that kinda sorta looked like the one they might prefer. Now, granted, the Straw Poll isn't really a “real” election: Participants have to pay $30 to vote, or be given a ticket by one of the campaigns, and it's held in a single location in the state (the campus of Iowa State University) with a six-hour voting window.

But it was an election nonetheless. Bad polling wasn't going to force Pawlenty out; a bad election result, even in a dubious election, was a different matter. He needed a spark to get his fundraising going, and he didn't get it.

The Straw Poll, combined with another event Saturday – Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign announcement in South Carolina – clarifies the presidential contest. Mitt Romney, Perry and Michele Bachmann, the winner of the Straw Poll, stand out from the rest.