RightMichigan.com || 2012 GOP Presidential Primary Race . . . Ames Aftermath

2012 GOP Presidential Primary Race . . . Ames Aftermath

By Kevin Rex Heine, Section News
Posted on Mon Aug 15, 2011 at 01:03:38 PM EST
Tags: GOP 2012 Presidential Nominee, Ames Debate and Straw Poll, Iowa Republcian Party, Michele Bachman, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Fred Karger, Andy Martin, Thaddeus McCotter, Jimmy McMillan, Roy Moore, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Buddy Roemer, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Jonathon Sharkey (all tags)

Promoted because I really want to let Bobby Schostak know its ok to smile.

I have written earlier that the republican 2012 presidential primary candidates' gallery was going to change considerably between then and the filing deadline for the February 2012 contests. (I think that November 8th, 2011, is going to be the filing deadline for the Iowa Caucuses.) Since mid-June, one exploratory candidate (Buddy Roemer) has officially entered the race, four candidates (Michele Bachman, Jon Huntsman, Thaddeus McCotter, and Rick Perry) have officially entered the race directly without bothering with an official exploratory committee, one officially declared candidate (Tim Pawlenty) has withdrawn, and Ralph Nader has claimed that President B. H. Obama is all-but-certain to be facing a credible primary challenge.

My, how things have changed.

According to the Wikipedia article (which is well and properly sourced), as of this morning the official candidate field for the 2012 republican presidential nomination is as follows:

Michele Bachman (Minnesota) - declared candidacy on 27 June 2011
Herman Cain (Georgia) - declared candidacy on 21 May 2011
Newt Gingrich (Georgia) - declared candidacy on 11 May 2011
Jon Huntsman (Utah) - declared candidacy on 21 June 2011
Gary Johnson (New Mexico) - declared candidacy on 21 April 2011
Fred Karger (California) - declared candidacy on 23 March 2011
Andy Martin (Illinois) - declared candidacy on 29 December 2010
Thaddeus McCotter (Michigan) - declared candidacy on 02 July 2011
Jimmy McMillan (New York) - declared candidacy on 23 December 2010
Roy Moore (Alabama) - exploratory committee formed 18 April 2011
Ron Paul (Texas) - declared candidacy on 13 May 2011
Rick Perry (Texas) - declared candidacy on 13 August 2011
Buddy Roemer (Louisiana) - declared candidacy on 21 July 2011
Mitt Romney (Massachusetts) - declared candidacy on 02 June 2011
Rick Santorum (Pennsylvania) - declared candidacy on 06 June 2011
Jonathon Sharkey (Florida) - declared candidacy on 23 April 2010

In addition to these sixteen candidates, credible speculation is also being provided to: John Bolton (from Maryland), Sarah Palin (from Alaska), Rudy Giuliani (from New York), and George Pataki (from New York). However, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that any candidate who can't seem to get at least one debate invitation is probably considered to be a de facto non-credible candidate who isn't worth wasting ballot space on.

It might be useful to know that, for all the hoopla often associated with the Iowa Republican Party sponsored Ames Debate and Ames Straw Poll, the reason that straw polls are called "straw polls" is because the results are non-binding and thus, as observed by The Iowa Republican, considered to be "as sturdy as straw." Nevertheless, Ames is considered to be an important early test of a candidate's campaign infrastructure and ability to appeal to voters, and many aspirants often consider a poor showing to be tantamount to an indication that further pursuing a campaign is a major waste of time (and will often drop out shortly thereafter).