Reactions to Aug. 13, 2011 Iowa Straw Poll
candidates' reactions in order received, first at top

PRESS RELEASE from McCotter 2012

For Immediate Release
August 13, 2011                                              

Contact: Chris Buck

McCotter Performs Well At Straw Poll

From Soap Box to Live Musical Performances to Keynote Address, U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter Rocks the Ames Fairgrounds, Promises an America and Leadership that Works for the People

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter on stage with former Gov. Mike Huckabee at the McCotter 2012 Straw Poll tent.

DES MOINES, Iowa – U.S. Representative and Presidential candidate Thaddeus McCotter came to the Ames Straw Poll to introduce his campaign to “first in the nation” caucus goers, and conservatives and Republicans across the country.  After a successful four-day swing the reviews are in: as Michael Barone put it in a tweet, “McCotter at State Fair impressive re capitalization of banks. I was wrong to say whimsical candidate; he’s serious.”

In concluding his keynote remarks before Straw Poll attendees, Representative McCotter laid out the vision for his campaign: “I promise you this,” he said, “I will not for work for pundits, I will not work for the bundlers, I will not work for the powerful. I will work for the people. I will work for you.”

“For this campaign, the Straw Poll was not about votes, it was about introducing our candidate to the public in our first large forum,” said Christopher Rants, McCotter senior adviser. “For a campaign that has only just begun, it was important that we show the people of Iowa – and the rest of the country – that this was a serious candidate ready to address serious issues for our country. By any measure, we did that this weekend.”

The McCotter campaign will continue to build out its organization in Iowa under the leadership of Rants, with an eye toward the 2012 Iowa caucus, while McCotter 2012 shifts its focus to the candidate’s home state of Michigan and New Hampshire for campaign activities in the coming week.

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PRESS RELEASE from Pawlenty for President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

August 13, 2011                          

                                            

CONTACT: Alex Conant


Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Statement on Ames Straw Poll Results

“Congratulations to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann for her victory in today's straw poll.  We made progress in moving from the back of the pack into a competitive position for the caucuses, but we have a lot more work to do. This is a long process to restore America -- we are just beginning and I'm looking forward to a great campaign."

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PRESS RELEASE from Ron Paul Presidential Campaign Committee

For Immediate Release: August 13, 2011

Contact: Gary Howard
Ron Paul Wins Historic Vote Total at Ames Straw Poll
Dr. Paul shatters expectations, proves strength of candidacy

AMES, Iowa– Congressman Ron Paul won 4,671 votes in today’s Iowa Republican Straw Poll, topping Governor Mitt Romney’s vote total from 2007 and drawing a near statistical tie with today’s winner at 27.6 percent of the vote versus 28.5 percent.
 
Dr. Paul’s finish earned him a strong second place and it was the fourth highest vote total ever received by a candidate at the important test of candidate strength.

Said campaign chairman Jesse Benton,

“Dr. Paul is surging in this race, and today’s results show the strength of his grassroots support and top notch organization.

“These straw poll results, our growing poll numbers and our strong fundraising shows that our message is resonating with Iowans and Americans everywhere.

“Our message was the same in 2007 as it is in now in 2011, but this time we have quadrupled our support. That means our message is spreading, our support is surging, and people are taking notice.

“We are uniting a coalition of longtime supporters, fiscal conservatives, constitutional conservatives, independents, tea party and anti-big government activists to take on the Washington establishment.

“Today, Ron Paul has emerged as a top tier candidate and is a serious contender to win the Republican nomination and the Presidency.”

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August 13, 2011

For Immediate Release 

Contact: Matt Beynon
Santorum Momentum Builds

Leadership Trumps Showmanship in Ames

Ames, IA - Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) far exceeded expectations in Ames and finished 4th in the Ames Straw Poll.

 

Today's results were simply vindication for Senator Santorum's belief that a clear, consistent and proven conservative record resonates with Americans. Outspent in Iowa by more than six to one in comparison to his nearest competitors, Senator Santorum showed that leadership trumps showmanship and that the American people deserve more than just television commercials, news conferences and empty promises.

 

Voters expect to meet the candidates, kick the tires, and then determine who is best suited to take on President Obama. Rick Santorum visited 68 of Iowa's 99 counties, holding 111 town hall meetings and rallies in libraries, coffee shops, and even living rooms. Unlike President Obama who wants the American people to believe in government, Rick Santorum believes in the American people, which is exactly why he took his message straight to the people and they overwhelmingly responded.

 

"I am incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support our campaign received today," said Senator Santorum. "The press and pundits had written us off and chose to ignore our message. But voters rallied around our message, that America will be great again if we elect a President who has the record of results through proven leadership. Today, the people of Iowa sent shock waves through the political establishment and our success though does not end here in Ames today, but moves forward to the Caucuses and beyond

For Immediate Release
August 13, 2011
Contact: Alice Stewart
Bachmann Thanks Iowans for the Team Bachmann Victory at the 2011 Iowa Straw Poll

Ames, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has issued the following statement after winning the 2011 Iowa Straw Poll:

“I want to thank the people of Iowa for this tremendous victory. Together we sent a message that we intend to make President Obama a one-term president. The Iowa Straw Poll was a important first step in what will be a long race for the presidency. Now we turn our attention toward winning the Iowa Caucuses and taking our message of reining in wasteful spending, keeping taxes low, growing our economy and creating jobs to the people of New Hampshire, South Carolina and all 50 states.”

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For Immediate Release:
Sunday, August 14, 2011

For More Information:
Ellen Carmichael
Cain Responds to Ames Straw Poll Results

(Ames, IA)- Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain responded to the results of the Ames Straw poll, saying:

We are very pleased with the outcome of the Ames Straw Poll yesterday. Our campaign spent significantly less than those who spent millions, and we still finished in the top half of the field. While some spent weeks on television and radio using paid media, we spent exactly $0 on either and still performed quite well.

We are encouraged by the outpouring of support during our bus tour throughout the state of Iowa. We drove more than 1,800 miles in less than a week and at each stop, the crowds grew bigger and bigger.

I would like to congratulate Congresswoman Bachmann for her impressive victory in the straw poll. Her message is an important message for the conservative movement, and I am honored to be competing with her for the Republican nomination.

I also wish Governor Pawlenty the very best. He was a formidable competitor and truly a fine man. I enjoyed getting to know him and will forever consider him a friend.
 
I appreciate the hospitality from the great folks in Iowa who I enjoyed visiting for the 27th time since the beginning of this year. This is just the beginning of our efforts in Iowa, and I look forward to spending more time here in the months leading up to the caucus.

This election is about 'we the people,' not 'we the political class.' As such, I will continue to champion the people's interests.
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Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Statement on Ames Straw Poll Result
“The Only Winner Today Was the Tea Party” 

Washington, DC – Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today on the results of the Iowa GOP’s Ames Straw Poll:
 
“Today’s results could have been easily predicted by anyone who watched the Republican debate on Thursday, heard Mitt Romney say at the Iowa State Fair this week that ‘corporations are people,’ or have been following the race up to now.  All of the Republican candidates have made clear their allegiance to the Tea Party, supporting extreme policies that would hurt the middle class, seniors, and students.  The only winner tonight was the Tea Party.
 
“We’re not hearing any new ideas or solutions from Republicans, just the same failed Republican ideas that endangered our economy in the first place.  Every single Republican candidate, just like Washington Republicans, is embracing policies that would maintain corporate loopholes and tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, which would force the middle class to bear much of the burden.  Every single Republican candidate supports the Ryan budget plan and Cut, Cap and Balance that would end Medicare as we know it and remove the safety net for America's seniors.
 
“None of the Republican candidates are willing to stand up for the middle class and working families. They are more than willing to take their cues from the Tea Party and let them take over the Republican Party, and they are putting ideology first.  The Ames Straw Poll may be over, but the campaign continues.  As these Republican candidates travel the country, I have no doubt they’ll make clear to voters where they stand—on the side of large corporations and the wealthiest Americans, not the middle class, seniors, or students.”
 
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And The Winner By A Landslide: Tea Party Republicans

Des Moines – In response to the Ames Straw Poll results, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky released the following statement:

“The real winners in the Ames Straw Poll today were the right wing, Tea Party Republicans that are pulling the Republican Party to the extreme right.

“None of these candidates are proposing new ideas to grow jobs or strengthen the middle class, but are instead doubling down on the failed economic policies that America has already rejected as they attempt to race to the right.

“Every one of these candidates has embraced the Ryan plan and Cut, Cap and Balance which would protect tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires while balancing the budget on the backs of seniors and the middle class.”

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PRO-LIFE PLEDGE SIGNERS SWEEP AMES STRAW POLL
Results Affirm Importance of Pro-Life Issue in 2012 Election
 
Washington, D.C. – The Susan B. Anthony List tonight congratulates Ames, Iowa Straw Poll winner Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. The SBA List is also recognizing the other three top performers in the poll, Representative Ron Paul, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Senator Rick Santorum, noting that all four candidates are signers of its Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge.
 
“It is no surprise that the top four vote getters of the Iowa Straw Poll are also signers of our Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Pro-life politics have long played a crucial role in Republican primaries and this election cycle will be no different. Republicans understand the importance of defeating President Obama, the most pro-abortion President in history, with a strong leader dedicated to protecting women and unborn children.”
 
Dannenfelser continued, explaining that because public opinion is more pro-life than ever, the 2012 election will feel the abortion issue influence even more.
 
“The first ever Presidential Pro-Life Leadership Pledge provides a minimum bar and measuring stick that clearly resonates with voters.”
 
The Susan B. Anthony List asked all of the declared Republican Presidential contenders to sign its pledge, which commits each signer to the following if elected to the White House:
 
FIRST, to nominate to the U.S. federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;
 
SECOND, to select only pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health & Human Services;
 
THIRD, to advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions;
 
FOURTH, advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.
 
Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Thad McCotter have all signed the pledge while Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and Herman Cain have thus far refused to do so.

The Susan B. Anthony, in conjunction with the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council on August 9, launched the Values Voter Bus Tour in Iowa, which traveled to 22 cities in 4 days, covering more than 1,300 miles promoting the importance of social issues in the 2012 Presidential Election. SBA List also launched a three-day radio ad campaign in the state encouraging Iowa Straw Poll voters to cast their ballot for one of the six Republican Presidential candidates who signed its Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge.

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