DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican Jeb Bush won’t be at the Iowa Republican Party’s presidential straw poll this summer, skipping the fixture of the pre-election-year political calendar for a competing event in Georgia.
Bush spokesman Tim Miller says Bush will attend the RedState Gathering instead. The annual four-day forum featuring conservative figures runs Aug. 6-9 in Atlanta. The straw poll is a one-day affair, scheduled for Aug. 8.
Bush is the latest in a string of big-name Republicans over the past three campaigns to sit out the Iowa event. The Iowa state GOP has fought to keep the straw poll alive and relevant in the face of complaints from critics who say it rewards candidates who pay for their supporters’ tickets to the event and unfairly gives Iowa two early tests of presidential strength. Iowa also is scheduled to begin the presidential voting in February.
“We hope Gov. Bush rethinks his decision and realizes that grassroots will only grow in Iowa if he waters them,” Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann posted on Twitter on Tuesday.
