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Romney wins GOP straw poll at state fair

Posted August 16, 2007 11:00 pm

Bernard Schoenburg

An organized effort that included a visit by one of his sons and 10 busloads of supporters helped give former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a clear win in a first-of-its-kind presidential straw poll conducted by the Republican Party Thursday at the Illinois State Fair.

But despite Romney's romp, with his 373 votes translating into 40.5 percent in a field of nine candidates, the announcement of the results wasn't without some excitement and even tension.

The 922 voters put former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee in second place with 19.96 percent; U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas in third with 18.9 percent; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in fourth with 11.6 percent; and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona in fifth with 4.1 percent.

Results for others on the ballot were former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 3 percent; U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, 1.1 percent; U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, 0.65 percent; and U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, 0.3 percent.

Just before state GOP chairman Andy McKenna announced the results from the podium at the Director's Lawn at the fair, sign-carrying supporters of Paul, who has developed an Internet-driven following, traded chants with the gathered supporters of the ultimate winner.

And shortly after Thursday's program, Republican Day at the state fair, some state troopers calmed participants in a disagreement spurred by Paul supporters waving their signs behind the heads of Craig Romney and Illinois Romney coordinator Dan Rutherford, a state senator from Chenoa, as TV interviews were being done away from the stage.

Despite the minor disturbance, McKenna and the Romney forces were happy with the event, even though it was less than a tenth the size of the well-known GOP straw poll in Ames, Iowa, that drew more than 14,000 votes and was also won by Romney Aug. 11.

"My dad is very grateful for everything that you guys are doing," Craig Romney, at 26 the youngest of the candidate's five sons, told the crowd after the announcement.

"He had such great success in Iowa, and it's starting to translate across the polls nationally," he said later.

Romney had been expected to win the Iowa test after spending a reported $2 million or more to do so.

Rutherford said people seeking to be GOP National Convention delegates or alternates for Romney - and not the Romney presidential campaign - paid for the 10 buses of supporters from places such as Edwardsville, Chicago and Pontiac.

McKenna said no target was set for participation in the poll, but he thinks it helped generate interest in the party, as intended.

"A lot of people here have never been to the state fair before, never been to a Republican event before," McKenna said. "I think it was very successful from that point of view."

As for turnout, he said, "This is just setting a platform we'll build from."

Unlike in Iowa, there was no cost for people to vote. Electronic voting machines were set up under a tent on the Director's Lawn. Any Illinoisan could vote, and typically, a bar code from each voter's driver's license was scanned as a means of identification.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, who spoke at the fair on behalf of Giuliani, discounted the importance of the straw poll before the voting, which went from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"I appreciate the state party taking a shot at doing one," Cross said, adding that no candidates made the trip. "I don't think the campaigns themselves are putting a lot of stock into it."

But Bob Kjellander, Republican National Committeeman from Illinois and a Romney supporter, said the vote was important.

"I think it was a very significant victory for Mitt Romney because he was not expected to win here," Kjellander said. "The polls have Giuliani ahead (in Illinois), the local congressmen were for McCain. I truly think this was a grass-roots upset."

U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, spoke on McCain's behalf at the fair, while U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, also backs the Arizona senator.

John Cox of Chicago, a Republican candidate for president who says he will be in a coming televised debate but has been excluded from those so far this year, attended the fair but wasn't on the state GOP's ballot. Inclusion was based on having a 5 percent poll showing, or having been in a national debate.

Cox said he didn't fight to change the rules this time around.

"I'm an outsider in many ways to the Illinois Republican Party," he said, adding that in "the current state" of the party that "might not be a bad idea. … Anybody who thinks independently or doesn't depend on government for their career is really not welcome."

Romney didn't fare as well earlier Thursday in a different test presidential vote. Members of the Illinois Republican County Chairmen's Association, meeting at the Crowne Plaza, had a secret-ballot poll of their own. Thompson got the most support with 22 votes, followed by 13 for Giuliani, nine for Romney, two for Huckabee, one for Hunter and one for McCain.

J.C. Kowa, chairman of Richland County Republicans and secretary of the chairmen's group, said 53 or 54 of the state's GOP county chairman attended the meeting, and the vote was not binding.

"We just thought it would be a fun thing to do," said Randy Pollard, Fayette County GOP chairman who heads the statewide group.

The state party's ballots at the fairgrounds also gauged support for the following five issues: a constitutional amendment to require voter approval for any new state borrowing over $1 billon; a constitutional amendment to allow initiatives where voters could approve new laws; providing parents of school-age children with $1,000-per-child tax credits for educational purposes, including tuition; a change in the Constitution "that would allow for the recall of elected officials, such as Governor Rod Blagojevich, before his or her term expires"; and the calling of a state constitutional convention.

Lance Trover, party spokesman, said the response was more than 80 percent positive to all five questions - with the question about recall of the governor getting 85 percent.

One Paul backer involved in the sign skirmish, Burnal Hansen Jr. of Willowbrook, said he's for Paul because Paul wants to eliminate the federal income tax.

Republicans also spent the day talking about how they hope to take advantage of the state budget crisis that has come under a Democratic governor and legislature.

"The budget is a huge mess," said LaHood. "The governor is not capable of governing, and I think they're in a state of malaise. I think our party's going to soar. I think we're on our way."

A joint breakfast of the state central committee and the chairmen's group also featured speeches by three people hoping to face U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in 2008 - Dr. Steve Sauerberg of Willowbrook; Jim Nalepa of Hinsdale, who has formed an exploratory committee, and Andy Martin of Chicago, who got less than 1 percent of the primary vote for governor in 2006.

Adriana Colindres of GateHouse News Service's State Capitol Bureau contributed to this report. Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at (217) 788-1540 or bernard.schoenburg@sj-r.com.

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