Monday, May 21, 2007

Romney Pulls Ahead Leaving Giuliani Behind

Those close to Iowa Republican politics have long known that Gov. Mitt Romney's Iowa team is one of the best. Romney staffed his Iowa campaign early with seasoned staffers that have the know-how to move undecideds into the supporter column and it showed in this weekends Des Moines Register poll. While I'm not a huge fan of the Register's coverage at times, this poll does carry some weight. Romney has been up on TV for well over a month trying to build name ID and his advisers should be happy with the results. This once third place contender has moved to the top and for that they should be proud. Romney is an undeniable leader and his campaign is quick to point this out. With less than three months until the Iowa Straw Poll, the Romney team will be looking to capitalize on this good news by signing up Straw Poll supporters at county meeting in the state.

This poll has one other interesting factor: Giuliani's poor performance. Rudy's camp is finally starting to staff an Iowa campaign, but with non-Iowans. The field staff that I've met have been good, but it's going to take them some time to learn the lay of the land. Iowans don't take well to out-of-state folks coming in to sway their vote, but it can be done. Rudy's diminished lead should be a sign that it's going to take hard work to win Iowa; work that includes a strong Iowa Straw Poll campaign. With so many non-Iowans on his campaign, the Straw Poll will be a great test-run for Giuliani's staff before they charge ahead to the Iowa Caucuses. A no-show at the Straw Poll will only lead to a greater decline in the polls leading into the Caucuses and an even harder job for his Iowa staff.

On the trail,

Joe Republican

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