The straw poll in Ames, Iowa will be missing two candidates this year as the Giuliani & McCain camps say they will skip the event. Incase you are wondering a straw poll is an informal type of opinion poll, it is not binding but the Iowa ritual has been a staple for Republicans every four years (except in the case of an incumbent President) since 1979.

The event is seen as an early “test of strength” in Iowa and is usually covered as an overall test of strength of candidates by the media.

The Giuliani campaign cited the expense (estimated at around $3 million +) and the movement of primaries in large states as the reason the candidate won’t participate.

To win the straw poll candidates must purchase the tickets of those who attend. Essentially a campaign buys a $30 ticket for someone in Iowa to attend and in return they receive a vote. Hence the cost. But in addition the campaigns also pay for transportation and then pamper these individuals. It is used as a fundraiser for the Iowa caucuses to be held in January of 2008.

From the article:

“The straw poll actually could in fact take away Iowa’s significance, if we’re not careful,” Mr. Nussle (former Iowa Representative) told reporters. “It’s not a serious event in the grand scheme of picking a nominee. And at this time in our history, with the war on terror and economic challenges facing our country, we need to have a serious conversation about our nominee and not just have, you know, these kind of fund-raising straw polls.”