Um, this might not be a good idea if he wants to beat Ron Paul who is predicated by Patrick Ruffini to come in second. It would be very amusing if Ron Paul won (though, you would never hear the end of it from the Paulites? Ronettes?).
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Saturday he has scaled back plans for a straw poll in Iowa next month that two chief rivals are bypassing.(via)
He said he hopes to do well, but "we're not trying to overshoot dramatically." That means reducing the budget for the straw poll Aug. 11 in Ames and the number of supporters his campaign plans to bus in to the event.
In June, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain bowed out of the decades-old nonbinding contest. Romney has put great resources into preparing for the event, which now shapes up as a contest involving several lesser-known contenders.
"I think initially we planned to bring in a very large number of folks from across the state for the straw poll," Romney told reporters. "We've cut back on our target from that standpoint to a level where we think we can win, but we're not trying to overwhelm anybody."
The straw poll is a dress rehearsal that allows GOP candidates to measure their organizational strength months before the Iowa caucuses in January, a one-day contest that requires a strong get-out-the-vote operation.
Republican-only straw polls have been held in every competitive presidential cycle since 1979. No candidate has skipped the event and won Iowa the following January.
