Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the front-runner for the Republican presidential notification in 2012, announced late Thursday that his campaign will not take part in straw polls being set up in Florida, Iowa and Michigan.
Arguing that the event helped propel Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole to the partys nomination, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is hosting the Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando in September.
Our campaign has made the decision not to participate in any straw polls, whether its in Florida, Iowa, Michigan, or someplace else, said Matt Rhoades, Romneys campaign manager. We respect the straw poll process. In the last presidential campaign, we were both strengthened as an organization and learned some important lessons by participating in them. This time we will focus our energies and resources on winning primaries and caucuses. We look forward to bringing Mitt Romneys strong pro-jobs message to every part of the country.
One of Romneys most prominent backers in Florida supports the decision, despite his ties to the RPOF.
The campaigns decision to not participate in any straw polls makes strategic sense, insists Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, a former chair of the RPOF. Florida is an expensive state to campaign in. As a candidate who has already proven his organizational strength and support in Florida, its smart for him to focus his time and resources on winning the actual primary.I know firsthand from Mitt that he is committed to campaigning in Florida throughout the primary process and am very happy to hear that he will also participate in the P5 debate.
"It is unfortunate that Governor Mitt Romney has chosen to bypass this years Presidency 5 straw poll, given our state's crucial role in choosing the Republican nominee and ultimately choosing the next president," said Andy Palmer, the executive director of the RPOF. "With thousands of activists signed up to attend, the event would have been the perfect opportunity to communicate his message directly to Republican voters in the most important swing state in the nation. However, we look forward to hosting a great event for the rest of the Republican candidates this September in Orlando.
Romney took second place in Florida in the 2008 presidential primary and his war chest has been considered one of the strengths of his presidential campaign.
Some of the rival campaign teams quickly responded to Romneys announcement. The team behind former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, who also has his eyes on the Republican presidential nomination, pointed toward Iowa, noting they will take part in it. Earlier in the week, the Pawlenty camp sent out an e-mail encouraging supporters to take part in the Presidency 5 straw poll. Friday marks the last day to register.
The team behind former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, who has expressed interest in entering the primaries but has yet to formally announce his candidacy, insisted their candidate would enter the Florida straw poll if he runs.
"Should Governor Huntsman enter the race for the Republican nomination for president, we fully intend to compete in the Republican Party of Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll," said Susie Wiles, a veteran of Florida politics currently with Horizon-PAC, a group with ties to Huntsman. "Governor Huntsman has made it abundantly clear that if he runs, he will campaign aggressively in Florida and base his campaign in his wife's hometown of Orlando. We feel very confident that the fresh leadership and problem-solving conservative record Governor Huntsman offers will resonate with Florida's Republican voters."
The Huntsman team is planning to run the campaign out of Orlando if he decides to enter the race.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
