WASHINGTON — The Iowa straw poll is history. With top presidential contenders Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio declining to participate, Iowa GOP leaders voted unanimously Friday to scrap the poll after a nearly 40-year run.
Candidates and party insiders have long complained that the poll — started in 1979 — could be manipulated and didn’t reflect the true strength of major candidates.
That was certainly the case in 2012, when Michele Bachmann won, then immediately flamed out.
The event has been major fundraiser for the state GOP. Candidates can gain an edge by buying up tickets, then busing in their supporters and feeding them.
This year’s poll had been set for Aug. 8 in Boone, Iowa.
“This step, while extremely distasteful for those of us who love the Straw Poll, is necessary to strengthen our First in the Nation status and ensure our future nominee has the best chance possible to take back the White House in 2016,” said state GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann.
In addition to Bush and Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has participated in the past, recently blasted the straw poll for pitting conservative candidates against one another.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was the first candidate to announce he would skip it this year.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, an Iowa frontrunner, hadn’t committed.