Giuliani To Skip Iowa Straw Poll

I just finished reading a story that former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, the front-runner in national polls for the Republican presidential nomination, will skip a critical early test of political strength in Iowa this summer, bypassing a GOP straw poll, his campaign said Wednesday.
His aides said it would cost about three million dollars to compete in the straw poll and that will instead use that money to compete in the later Iowa state caucuse.
I think that he would not do so well in the straw poll anyway as he is pretty liberal for a Republican and he trails Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John Mccain, so he is probably hoping to rise more in the polls before the caucuses begin and use his money sparingly to stay in the race until then.
The straw polls are used to gauge how well a candidates organization is working in the state. He will still be on the straw poll ballot, but will not be able to tell how well his organization is doing, because the campaigns usually buy big blocks of tickets and give them to their supporters so they can participate in the straw poll.
With Rudy Giuliani's decision to skip the straw poll, it may allow Senator John Mccain to skip it as well as save his dwindling money for other contests.
Mitt Romney is fully committed to the straw poll and leads in the state polls already.
On his way to the White House, President George W. Bush competed in and won the Iowa straw poll in August, 1999.
Perhaps the candidates who want to win the Presidency should re-think whether missing the straw poll might mess up their chances of getting to the White House, as has happened to many candidates, including John Mccain, who skipped the Iowa straw poll in his failed 2000 Presidential run.

straw poll