Ben Carson wins SRLC straw poll

Politico ^ | May 23, 2015 | Alex Isenstadt

[Cincinatus' Wife]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ben Carson won the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference Saturday, demonstrating his popularity among conservative activists at one of the party’s traditional presidential cattle call events.

Carson, a former surgeon who formally launched his underdog campaign this month with an appeal to the GOP’s tea party wing, finished first with 25 percent. He was followed by Scott Walker, who received 20 percent, and Ted Cruz at 16 percent. Chris Christie and Rick Perry tied at 5 percent, with Jeb Bush narrowly behind. Marco Rubio tied with Bobby Jindal and Rand Paul at 4 percent.

The straw poll victory doesn’t necessarily represent a breakthrough for Carson. Carson and Cruz, both middle-of-the-pack candidates in the early 2016 polls, mounted serious efforts to win the straw poll but most candidates did not compete. They hoped it would give them badly needed momentum as they compete against a sprawling field of better known and better funded rivals. Four years ago here, Mitt Romney notched a narrow, one-vote win over Ron Paul.

The announcement of the results brought an end to a three-day event that has become a mainstay of the party’s nominating contest. It drew 2,000 or so activists from around the South, organizers said, with 958 casting votes in the straw poll. It also drew many of the 2016 Republican hopefuls, all of whom used 25-minute speeches at the downtown Cox Convention Center to throw out red meat to the conservatives gathered.

Rubio and Cruz, who were originally scheduled to make appearances, had to cancel as a result of the ongoing negotiations in Washington over renewal of the Patriot Act.

The three front-runners for the party’s nomination — Bush, Walker, and Rubio — did not have a major presence in the halls. Privately, their advisers said they saw little point in investing time and resources in winning a contest without any electoral implications. None wanted to be seen as seriously competing for a straw poll, which would have little upside and could result in an embarrassing loss.

Cruz and Carson, however, decided to participate in a big way. Both candidates had supporters who manned booths, where they passed out literature, took down information from prospective supporters, and encouraged them to cast votes in the straw poll. Carson backers, wearing blue “I’m with Ben” stickers, crowded the halls and invited attendees to take pictures with a life-size cardboard cut-out of the candidate.

“He has a large contingency here,” Steve Fair, Oklahoma’s Republican national committeeman, said of Carson.

For Cruz — who was initially slated to be the keynote speaker at a Friday night dinner but had his father, Rafael, substitute for him — the organizing surrounding the straw poll was nearly a month in the making. Weeks ago, his top advisers developed a projection of which activists would be most likely to attend the conference and set out to contact them. The campaign would end up calling about 2,000 people throughout Oklahoma, northwest Louisiana, North Texas, and western Arkansas — all areas likely to be heavily represented at the event — and encouraged them to come and register their support for the Texas senator.

The cost of the effort was low — Cruz’s advisers estimate they spent only around $1,800 — but they saw a return in competing. By doing so, they made contact with thousands of conservatives across the South, a constituency that could be inclined to support the Texas senator. Several of Cruz’s top aides spent the conference roaming the halls and talking to activists and party leaders in hopes of increasing his support.

Republicans are grappling with a similar discussion over whether to compete in the Iowa Straw Poll in August, a traditional measuring stick that has been seen as an early barometer of a candidate’s strength in the critical first-caucus state. Earlier this month, Bush said that he wouldn’t be competing, saying that it’s not relevant. Mike Huckabee also announced earlier in the week that he would skip the Iowa Straw Poll. Walker, the current front-runner in Iowa, has yet to say whether he will participate. For both, a loss in the Iowa event — which carries more political cachet than the SRLC poll — would be seen as a black eye.

The SRLC represents one of the party’s major events of the pre-primary season, bringing together activists from the most reliably Republican region in the nation. The 2016 hopefuls who trekked to Oklahoma City, a hub for oil and gas interests, came to speak but also to court influential local political leaders and donors with private meetings. Walker, Bush and Rick Santorum all organized get-togethers in the Devon Tower, the 50-story skyscraper that towers above the city. Christie, meanwhile, held an event for a super PAC that’s been set up to to support his anticipated candidacy.

Some Southern leaders are looking to increase the region’s influence in the nominating process by altering the primary calendar. A number of states, including Alabama, Texas, and Virginia, have announced plans to hold their contests on March 1 and create an “SEC primary,” a reference to the NCAA Southeastern conference. In recent presidential election years, Southern states had their primaries on different dates.

As the conference wrapped up on Saturday, a number of candidates were expected to formally launch their campaigns in the coming days. Santorum is set to launch his bid next week in Pennsylvania, with Perry and Lindsey Graham the week after. Christie, Bush and Walker, meanwhile, are expected to formally launch their candidacies later in the summer. 2016 Blast

[dp0622]

Wow. I am glad to see Ted Cruz and Scott Walker in the top 3.I am surprised about Carson because he has made some comments about automatic weapons and a few other things that make him seem not completely conservative. But he is a good man. & a great example for minority kids

[deport]

“cattle calls” Has nothing to do with the Nazi herding
Jews into cattle cars.

[re_nortex]

Well, in any case, it still shows Politico's lack of respect for Conservatives. Since that vile site is controlled by hussein's White Mosque, such terminology is typical of communists.

[deport]

Think as you may but I see no disrepect in the term used as such.

[Theodore R.]

That vote for the McC-Obama trade deal may have ended the Cruz candidacy. We just don’t know yet.

[Theodore R.]

A funny photo gimmick that won’t deter the legion of militant HRC backers

[Ben Ficklin]

If you were to look it on the internet, you would see that a cattle call is an open audition for parts in a play, movie, or other production.

The key word is open, which means anybody can audition.

[alloysteel]

There were those who thought in 1992, that a good ol’ boy from Arkansas, who had been a “rising star” for three decades (as he was described by Sam Nunn), was still a sort of long shot, but the king of schmooze (and sleaze) managed that task, with a LOT of clandestine help from some kingmakers that were not openly obvious at the time.

Bill Clinton had actually considered a serious run in 1988, but pulled back at the last minute, after he practically got booed off the stage, and it looked like his career was pretty much ended by then. But like Nixon in the period of 1964 to 1968, Clinton was doing a lot of handshakes and “How ya doing, buddy?” hands-on greetings at the state committee level, and when the first results of the straw polls started coming in by late 1991, he handily beat Tom Harkin and Bob Kerrey. Paul Tsongas beat Clinton in New Hampshire, but somehow, the second-place “win” propelled Clinton into a real shot as contender, when the schmooze factor began to pay off big time. By then, Harkin and Kerrey were out, but Jerry Brown was still making a push, and Tsongas was just barely hanging on. First Tsongas dropped out, after the Super Tuesday and the Michigan and Illinois primaries, which put the coup de grace on his campaign, leading to the really brutal campaign in New York State against Jerry Brown. Jerry Brown ended up coming in third (behind Tsongas, who had already dropped out), and from then on, Clinton just went on to win after win. But even at the convention, it was no sure thing until the actual roll call was made, as Clinton’s popularity among the general public was not all that great.

And then, there was the wild card - Ross Perot. Practically every vote that Perot got, was at the expense of George H.W. Bush, and putting Bush far behind Clinton, who was elected to the first of his “plurality” wins.

[RS_Rider]

“Words have meaning!”

Canckle Call!

[Drew68]

The racist communists of Politico have now characterized both Carson (black) and Cruz (Hispanic) as cows. This is so typical of the hussein-commanded lamestream drivebys to call true Christian Conservatives bovines. Recall that the Nazis herded Jews into cattle cars.

You sound micro-aggressed. Do you need a safe space?

[SamAdams76]

The three top vote getters are conservatives, with RINOS all in single digits.. What’s not to like?

[dp0622]

I hated Ross Perot. His big thing was not losing American job and just last year his company exported a bunch of jobs. Hypocrite. I didn’t know that background on Clinton. Thanks.

[re_nortex]

You sound micro-aggressed. Do you need a safe space?

I have enormous respect for America, Conservatism and the English language. That's why the leftist deployment of derogatory terms when applied to pro-God, pro-life, pro-gun and anti-sodomy Patriots sets me off.

Similarly I stand in strict opposition to the communist's evil seizure of the perfectly fine word "gay" to mean homosexual. The original meaning has been all but forgotten since this hijacking of those goose-stepping to the sodomite agenda. One component of restoring a Bible-based America is to also restore the language.

And for your information, the term “microaggression” was is a creation of far-left radical Harvard professor Chester M. Pierce in 1970. He used it to describe rude or dismissive behavior he claims to have seen "evil whites" routinely inflicting on "innocent blacks". His picture and "principle" are shown below for reference.

[HoosierDammit]

Good showing for Dr. Carson, better one for Gov. Walker - second place isn’t bad at all in a race you don’t care to compete.

As for Sen. Cruz, I can’t imagine how this can be seen as encouraging, especially in a contest where:

1. You have should have almost universal name recognition due to your representation of the big state right next door;

2. You have to sieze the grassroots and conservative base, whom you have claimed to focus your efforts; and (most importantly),

3. You actually tried to win.

[conservativejoy]

You make a good point about that trade agreement. If it were published in it’s entirety and released to the public, I doubt that any of those screaming about the secrecy would understand it. I’ll admit I wouldn’t.

I do trust Ted Cruz to do due diligence and not vote for something that is bad for the country. Those who oppose it most are aligned with unions for the most part. I’m not aware of any Presidential candidate who has taken a position against it, but there probably is one or two.

[dp0622]

Bernie Sanders opposes it. which might mean it can’t be all that bad lol

[conservativejoy]

Bernie Sanders! LOL! Only in Vermont, bless their hearts.

[dp0622]

Lol. and it’s no secret to New Yorkers that de Blasio is dying to jump into the race :)

[conservativejoy]

de Blasio’s delusional, huh? He has completely demoralized NYPD, so, of course we want to inflict him on our military. Sheesh!

[dp0622]

He and sanders and Pocahontas want to take us further left than we’ve ever been. With help from Hillary.