Ron Paul Wins Benton County
No kidding! Can this be the Republican stronghold of Benton County? Is the “old guard” losing its hold? Is the sun rising in the west? I would of loved to been in that room and watched the face of Republican Chair George Spence…I might of even paid for the pleasure…Ron Paul? Things are changing in the Republican Party even in Benton County. Ron Paul?
Paul wins Benton County Republicans’ straw poll
A straw poll sponsored Tuesday by the Benton County Republican Committee gave presidential candidate Ron Paul a victory.
The nonbinding vote of some 142 people gave Paul 52 votes, Mitt Romney 35 votes, Mike Huckabee 30 votes, John Mc-Cain 20 votes, Ruddy Giuliani 4 votes and Fred Thompson 1 vote.
Paul supporters in attendance cheered when the vote was announced.
Thompson’s name remained on the ballot, despite the fact that the former Tennessee senator and actor had dropped out of the race earlier on Tuesday.
The other candidates had local stand-ins at the meeting, each of whom spoke on their behalf for three minutes.
Republican County Committee members and members of many GOP political clubs in the county were eligible to vote in the straw poll, as were other Republicans who joined the committee for 2008 at Tuesday’s meeting.
While the straw poll vote was fun and it succeeded in its goal of getting new people involved in the committee and raising money, county committee chairman George Spence said after the vote, he wouldn’t assume Paul will be able to duplicate his 36. 6 percent support in the straw poll when the GOP presidential primary is held Feb. 5.
“I think it would be wrong to over-interpret this (vote ),” Spence said.
But Spence emphasized both at the meeting and afterward that he welcomed Paul supporters to the committee. In the crowd of attendees, he saw many new faces and was glad of it, Spence said at the meeting.
Posted on January 23rd, 2008 by George Sand
Posted in National Politics. | EMail This Post
Comments
Comment from Juanita Meeker
Time: January 23, 2008, 10:09 am
I was there last nite and enjoyed going
there and taking part in this. Everyone was very friendly to all the Ron Paul people unlike in other states and I was
very surprised in this which was a good
thing and I hope to see news of Ron paul’s win in the morning news today, that would be the right thing to do for AR to be fair and differnet from other state’s bad behavior and let the us know here, we are fair whether big or small win with all candiates and friendly to!
Comment from Shiloe Thompson
Time: January 23, 2008, 1:07 pm
We were there! It was great! I was so happy to the looks on their faces. They were not expecting us to follow through. NOW, is the time to get out there and show our numbers. So, get off the computer, open the door, blink in the sunshine once again and get out there! The REVOLUTION is NOW!
Comment from Jim Thompson
Time: January 23, 2008, 1:16 pm
One of the highlights of the night for me was when the floor was opened for introductions, etc. - a man, I don’t recall his name, stood and addressed the crowd and said: “My wife and I are [legal] immigrants, and I have a great deal of respect for the democratic system; it’s great to see so many people out here taking part in the process that made this country great.” (I’m paraphrasing, but that was the jist of it).
This comment was met with roaring applause - because he was right. It’s all about getting involved at the local level and being a part of the process. This election has awoken me to that fact, as it has many others. It really was touching for someone from another country, that might not have the luxury of a democratic process, to have been made a citizen of our country and be involved. It was truly a moment that I am proud of… for that man, for my county and for the local republicans in our area.
If there is one thing we can all agree on this election season, it’s that this a pivotal moment in history, and will be remembered as such.
Get out there and make your mark on it.
Comment from Anonymous
Time: February 13, 2008, 2:12 pm
I find it interesting that a woman has time to blog about politics, but cannot pick up the phone to call her two daughters who she has not seen in almost 10 years. I wonder what Ron Paul would say about that!
Write a comment