Hope this straw poll holds true.
http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/article.php/20080204220337385
Ron Paul wins Nine Mile straw poll
Monday, February 04 2008 @ 10:03 PM MST
Contributed by: Admin
by Harry Kenck
We have a winner in the Precinct 38 presidential straw poll. And the winner is...Dr. Ron Paul by two votes over former governor Mitt Romney. Sen. John McCain finished third three votes behind the good doctor.
The last five votes cast (two during half time of the Super Bowl, one at 8:14 a.m. Monday morning, and the last two at 12: 37 pm , a few minutes before the poll closed) were all cast for Dr. Ron Paul.
To their credit the Ron Paul campaign team has run an aggressive, effective, and very clean effort on behalf of their candidate. Montana Rep. Roger Koopman and Rep. Jack Wells mailed out letters of endorsement. Rep. Wells writes, “When Montana speaks we speak FREEDOM, and we spell that RONPAUL.” Gary Marbut, of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, has sent a dozen or more e-mails in support of Dr. Paul over several months time. At least a dozen others that I did not know from Flathead, Gallatin, Missoula, Ravalli, and Mineral Counties sent letters of endorsement.
This group seemed to be just patriotic folks happy to participate and support their candidate. Some wrote that they had heard of our Straw Poll and wondered why it wasn’t being done statewide, and would we please consider their choice in our Poll.
Two responders, one letter, were angry with the Montana Republican Party, voicing their disapproval of the Caucus Initiative at the expense of the Primary Election, but wishing to show their support for Ron Paul none the less.
Tuesday Feb. 5 is Caucus Night statewide. In Missoula County our prediction is a close race between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. The older caucus-goers have for the most part lined up behind former governor Mitt Romney. The younger generations, and especially those for whom this is their first or maybe their second Presidential Campaign, seem to form the core of support for Ron Paul. When all the votes have been counted at the Missoula County Caucus, we predict a victory for Dr. Ron Paul, narrow though it may be.
As their precinct captain, I wish to thank all the participants from Precinct 38 (upper Nine Mile), for making our straw poll an unqualified success. At the end of the day Precinct 38 may prove to be the only precinct statewide to have launched and successfully completed a presidential straw poll, and made the results count at the county caucus.
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Harry R. Kenck is the Missoula County Republican Precinct 38 Committeeman.
