How lucky are we?

By Sam Garchik

I received this via email. It's very good reading from Campaigns and Elections, written last week. Could the Iowa GOP be really short on cash? This means less to spread around,and more possible pick-ups for Democats. I am only printing 2 paragraphs; for the rest, go to Campaigns and Elections..

Jim Hutter, of ISU, said straw poll money is “a very effective way for state Republicans to win elections; they don’t use it for anything else.â€

However, with two front-running campaigns stepping back, the straw poll may not be as well-attended or profitable as eight years ago. RPI projections before the McCain and Giuliani announcements were for 50,000 attendees, or 25 percent more than in 1999.

That number now looks a little high, concedes Mary Tiffany, the state GOP Communications director Mary Tiffany.

According to former state Republican finance chairwoman Diane Crookham Johnson, “…as a donor it hasn’t been nearly as expensive a year for me, because it’s just hard to find things to get excited about to support. That’s the same thing I’m hearing from other donors.â€

Check back in after August 11 for news of the poll...