Posted on 08/17/2015 1:34:08 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Donald Trump was the winner by a wide margin among area Republicans who cast ballots in a presidential preference straw poll held last week as part of the annual Newton County Republican watermelon feed.
Trump received 27 percent of the vote, followed by Ben Carson, 14.5 percent; Ted Cruz, 13.7 percent; Mike Huckabee, 9.6 percent; Scott Walker, 9 percent; Jeb Bush, 7.2 percent; Rand Paul, 6 percent; Carly Fiorina, 4.2 percent; Marco Rubio, 2.4 percent; Bobby Jindal, 1.8 percent; and John Kasich, 1.2 percent. Chris Christie, Mark Everson and Rick Perry each received 0.6 percent, and Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin received 0.6 percent as write-ins.
More than 250 area Republicans attended the gathering and heard from most of the GOP candidates running for statewide office in 2016.
Speakers were gubernatorial candidates Randy Asbury, John Brunner, state Sen. Bob Dixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder; candidates for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Mike Parson and Bev Randles; for secretary of state, Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Will Kraus; for state treasurer, state Sen. Eric Schmitt; and for attorney general, Joshua Hawley and state Sen. Kurt Schaefer.
Polling data
The opinions expressed by Republicans at the watermelon feed in Neosho are in line with those from potential voters across the state, at least according to a report from Public Policy Polling.
Results of questioning after the first GOP debate had Trump leading the GOP field in Missouri with 23 percent, followed by 11 percent each for Bush and Carson, 10 percent for Huckabee, 9 percent for Cruz, 8 percent for Walker, 7 percent for Fiorina, 6 percent for Rubio and 4 percent each for Kasich and Paul. Christie, Jindal, Perry and Rick Santorum each got 1 percent.
Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton leads with 53 percent to 25 percent for Bernie Sanders, 5 percent each for Martin O'Malley and Jim Webb, and 1 percent for Lincoln Chafee.
The firm's polling shows tight races for U.S. senator and governor. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt has a narrow lead — 40 percent — over the 35 percent for Democrat challenger Jason Kander, with 25 percent of voters undecided.
The governor's race was termed "a sheer toss-up at this point."
Kinder, who has announced a campaign for governor, is leading the Democrat hopeful, Attorney General Chris Koster, 40 percent to 37 percent.
But Koster holds a lead ranging from 4 percent to 8 percent over remaining GOP contenders, including Dixon, Asbury, Brunner, Catherine Hanaway and Eric Greitens. The pollsters said high levels of undecided votes reflect how little-known the candidates are at this point.
Truman Dinner speaker
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., will be the keynote speaker at the annual Truman Dinner sponsored by the Missouri Democratic Party.
The event is set for Friday, Aug. 28, on the field at Busch Stadium.
Roy Temple, chairman, said party officials are excited to be joined by Cantwell at the dinner.
"She's built an impressive record as an advocate for working families, and we believe her message will strongly resonate with Missouri Democrats," he said.
A former Washington state legislator and businesswoman in Washington's technology industry, Cantwell was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000 and has become a leader in the party and in providing support to fellow Democrats, Temple said.
The Truman Dinner is the Missouri Democratic Party's biggest annual fundraiser.
I bet if all of the sub-10% dropped out, Trump might have 50% of the poll, here and nationwide.
Once again, the non-establishment candidates come in as the top three. While the RINOs and the Munchkins fall to the bottom.
Anyone seeing a message here? Likely not the Republican Party national leadership.
Notice that Rick Perry and Sarah Palin are neck-and-neck, except that she ain’t runnin’ for president? LOL
And Romney, too.
The national Republican leadership has picked Jeb Bush.
They think Trump is an ‘angry summer fling candidate’ and once we get into the fall and serious election consideration they’ll voters will fall in line and vote for their guy: Jeb Bush.
If I were the last nominee and only polled at under 1%, I’d move back to Mexico.
Yes, but the important question is..... Where is Lindsay???? John will be so upset they dissed his girlfriend!
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