American Election Money Festival

The straw poll, which is an unofficial preliminary vote, held on Aug. 13 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa was a festival filled with food and music provided by the Republican presidential candidates for their constituents. Many families showed up with their children; and although the actual number of voters stood at 17,000, nearly 40,000 people showed up on campus. The results may not have much significance as it was a mock vote, but many candidates still fought hard for votes as [the straw poll] represented the general direction the Republican primaries will take.

This poll was like a beauty pageant, with the Iowa chapter of the Republican Party as the director and the candidates as the performers. The audience (voters) received free tickets, each worth $30, and free lunch from the performers (candidates). In order to ensure votes, the performers chartered buses and distributed souvenir T-shirts and hats. The candidates were basically forced to spend money because they felt they had to win this popularity contest to position themselves favorably for later elections. The candidates spent anywhere from $15,000 to $31,000 to rent tents which were set up near the polls. The easily accessible large tents were sold at high prices; remote tents sold for half those prices. The Iowa chapter of the Republican Party was responsible for all ticket prices and tent rental fees.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., had the busiest tent. Having received the tea party’s unwavering support, a long line formed at her tent from the early hours. Bachmann’s camp announced that it had distributed all of its 6,000 tickets at 3 p.m., an hour before the poll closed. One ticket cost $30, which means, in effect, that Bachmann’s camp had thrown $180,000 out to voters. The camp held a barbeque party for those who had voted and provided free drinks and even free desserts like ice cream. Country singer Randy Travis held a concert in the air-conditioned tent. Bachmann is a Minnesota congresswoman, but her hometown is Waterloo, Iowa.

In contrast, Bachmann’s rival and former Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty watched his tent in panic. His tent was about half empty, and sounds of volunteers’ laments oozed out of it. An hour before the poll closed, candidate Pawlenty’s wife, Mary, stood up on the podium and pleaded, “If you have not yet voted, we’re asking you to do it now”; however, not many took note of it.

Bachmann came out victorious. Out of 16,892 votes, she received 4,823 votes, more than twice as much as Pawlenty’s 2,293 votes. Pawlenty competed with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for second place in the opinion polls. Left in third place, Pawlenty ended up announcing his withdrawal from the race. Pawlenty failed to mobilize his group. He explained his withdrawal, saying, “I’m not personally wealthy … I don’t want to drag this out for two or four weeks and risk not being able to pay my staff on time.”

The very next day after his withdrawal, he returned to his home state of Minnesota with his wife and two daughters in his campaign manager’s car.

Watching someone with a clean image like Pawlenty announce his withdrawal mid-race, I strongly felt the significance of money in American elections. Pawlenty withdrew from the race early on as he realized that raising the unlimited amount of money that it would take to continue on in the presidential race would be difficult after placing third in the straw poll. The Ames Straw Poll fully exemplified the coldhearted logic of capitalism at work in American elections.