Secretary of State’s fair booth to feature presidential poll

DES MOINES Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate plans to include a Presidential Straw Poll at his office’s booth during the 2015 Iowa State Fair. The unscientific poll can be accessed via iPads at the booth, which will be located inside the Varied Industries Building at the State Fairgrounds. Real time results will be available on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website:

www.sos.iowa.gov/statefairpoll

“We hope the Straw Poll will draw people to our booth, where Iowans can also register to vote,” Secretary Pate said. “Increasing voter participation is one of the primary functions of my office. I want all eligible Iowans to fulfill their civic duty and exercise their right to vote.”

The State Fair Straw Poll will include 18 Republican and five Democratic presidential candidates. Visitors to the Secretary of State booth can also vote in daily polls with fun topics, such as “Who Is Your Favorite Famous Iowan”, “What is Your Favorite Bacon Dish,” and “Which In-State College Football Team Will Have the Best 2015 Season”.

“This is just a fun thing I decided to do,” Secretary Pate said. “The presidential race is all over the news, most of the candidates will be visiting the State Fair and I thought it would be interesting to gauge their support from fairgoers. It is a totally unscientific poll and you don’t have to be an Iowan to vote in it.”

Secretary Pate has invited all of the presidential candidates and their supporters to visit his State Fair booth. Registering Iowans to vote will be one of the priorities for Pate’s staff during the Fair. Although Paul Pate is Iowa’s Commissioner of Elections, the Secretary of State’s Office takes no official role in the Iowa Caucuses. Those are functions of the Iowa Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Iowa.

Visitors to the State Fair booth can also learn about various programs from the Secretary’s Elections and Business Services division. The Secretary of State booth is Number 273, on the second row from the concourse main entrance of the Varied Industries Building.

– Iowa Secretary of State news release

Poll released this week:

Trump leads Iowa GOP field – Shows less strength among debate viewers

BOSTON – With just six months until the Iowa caucuses, businessman Donald Trump (17 percent) leads the field of Republicans among likely GOP caucus voters, according to a poll from Suffolk University.

Meanwhile, a subset of voters who watched the Aug. 6 Republican debate said that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Dr. Ben Carson were the most impressive candidates.

The Suffolk University Iowa poll showed Gov. Scott Walker of neighboring Wisconsin second at 12 percent; Rubio, 10 percent; retired neurosurgeon Carson, 9 percent; and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and businesswoman Carly Fiorina tied at 7 percent.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush polled at 5 percent, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich (3 percent), while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were tied at 2 percent. Six other candidates received 1 percent or less, while 20 percent of voters were undecided.

“It appears that Donald Trump’s lead is strong so long as the number of active opponents remains above a dozen,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. “If the Republican field were winnowed down to five or six candidates, Trump’s 17 percent probably wouldn’t be enough to win in Iowa, as polling indicates that his further growth has limitations. The long-shot candidates staying in the race help keep Trump on top-at least for now.”

Debate Impact

The race was closer among viewers of last Thursday’s debate: Trump and Walker were tied at 14 percent, with Rubio (11 percent), Carson and Fiorina (tied at 10 percent), and Cruz (9 percent) close behind. However, among likely caucus voters who skipped watching the FOX NEWS debate, Trump (21 percent) led Carson (10 percent) by a wider margin, with Rubio and Walker tied at 8 percent.

“In the absence of a debate, Trump’s lead widens because he swallows up the political oxygen, but when that oxygen is spread out more evenly in a debate, it breathes life into the other candidates, and the race gets closer,” said Paleologos.

When viewers were asked about Trump after seeing him debate, 55 percent said they were less comfortable with him as a candidate for president, and 23 percent said they were more comfortable. Forty-one percent said the debate moderators targeted Trump unfairly, while 54 percent disagreed.

Debate Performance

Both Rubio and Carson benefited from strong debate performances and are within striking distance of the leaders. When debate viewers were asked which candidate was most impressive, Rubio led with 23 percent, followed by Carson with 22 percent. Carson and Rubio also topped the field at 12 percent each as viewers’ second choice-an indicator of future growth potential. When viewers shared in their own words which debate moment they remembered most, Carson dominated, with 25 percent mentioning his closing remarks, brain surgery comments, or providing other positive feedback.

Though she did not appear on the evening debate stage, Fiorina made her mark among afternoon debate viewers, 82 percent of whom said Fiorina was the most impressive of the seven candidates in the earlier debate. Among viewers of either debate, 93 percent said Fiorina should be invited to debate the top tier of Republican candidates in the future.

-Suffolk University

news release