Inside Iowa's Straw Poll

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Correspondent Steve Brown tonight explains exactly what -- straw poll is and why we care.

-- blonde blue group the staging has begun.

Come Saturday this part of the Iowa State campus will be transformed into a political carnival.

This is the straw poll.

The event is a huge pre presidential election year fund raiser for the Iowa Republican Party.

The biggest ticket buyers are the GOP campaigns for the White House campaigns go -- and they buy lots of tickets they get them to their supporters to try to get their supporters.

To the event feet in the Barbeque sandwich and get them to go actually promote the results of this events in formal presidential preference surveys or straw poll -- the -- damaging to a candidate you've had that Phil Gramm Lamar Alexander.

Sam Brownback all -- campaigns that had troubles had a bad showing in the straw poll couldn't keep going.

In 2007 Mitt Romney cruised to a straw poll victory Mike Huckabee stole the show finishing these surprising second Sam Brownback with a -- set up.

-- a disappointing third.

Two months later He left the race.

Another thing about -- pull votes just because a candidate has an -- one's vote at the straw poll.

Does not mean He -- she will get that vote come caucus time among many Iowa activists -- more in the dating phase as opposed to the mayor in phase of of their chosen candidate.

What it does for the campaigns as it does identify who those troop leaders will be for you in February caucuses in fact Huckabee second place in the straw poll later won the caucuses and again this year.

Many of these politically savvy decisive straw -- goers like the Iowa governor we are still undecided and I think that's probably indicative.

-- on -- Iowa Republicans.

There is a lot of undecideds out there and -- lot of people may be swayed by.

The debate.

Thank you for the -- governor.

One -- school way to figure out how candidate might be doing at the straw poll.

Come out -- the parking lot and count the number boss is hired to Hawley and the candidates supporters the more bus is the more votes.

The better the prospects for the candidate have the straw poll --

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Inside Iowa's Straw Poll

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