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Straw Poll Throws Republicans For a Loop

September 26th, 2011 by Mike Vasilinda

Republican Party voters threw their slate of Presidential candidates a curve Saturday, picking unknown Herman Cain in a straw poll in Orlando. Predicted front runners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney finished a distant second and third. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Saturday’s vote suggests GOP insiders are unhappy with their choices.

Straw poll winner Herman Cain is placing a lot of credence in Saturdays piercing vote against Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. The second and third place finishers are already saying the vote doesn’t mean much. FSU eminent scholar Carol Weissert agrees.

“Straw polls don’t tell you anything, except what the preferences are of the people who are there,” Weissert said. “In this case, it was the preference of the activists in the Republican party, but it in no way is going to predict the primary or certainly not the general election.”

Saturday’s vote clearly threw a likely curve in the prediction that the winner would be the party’s eventual nominee. Even Democrats don’t think Cain has the juice to win.

“Herman Cain is not going to win the primary,” Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said. “He’s not going to be the nominee. He’s not going to win a state.”

So how did Cain win? Hard work.

A number of Republican insiders believe it came down to retail politics. Herman Cain gave a great speech, then stayed and worked the room, while all the other big players left.

The messages sent by GOP faithful were many. Sally Bradshaw was a delegate but didn’t vote.

“They’re uncertain about Governor Romney because of his perceived position on some issues as a flip-flopper and they weren’t ready to embrace Governor Perry given his debate performance,” Bradshaw said. “It really opened things up.”

Prior to Saturday, the last three Florida straw poll winners did go on to win the nomination. If that happens this time, it would be the biggest political surprise of the decade.

Posted in Elections, Politics, State News, Voting | No Comments »

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