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Giuliani To Bypass Iowa Straw Poll, Not Caucus

WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) ― Rudy Giuliani, the front-runner in national polls for the Republican presidential nomination, will skip a critical early test of political strength in Iowa this summer, bypassing a GOP straw poll, his campaign said Wednesday. The former New York City mayor will still compete in the state's lead-off caucuses in January, and aides said he plans to beef up his Iowa campaign staff soon.

"We are 100 percent committed to winning the Iowa caucuses in January," Mike DuHaime, Giuliani's campaign manager, said in a conference call with reporters. He said the estimated $3 million a campaign typically spends to win the straw poll will be used instead to prepare for the caucuses.

Giuliani has lagged both chief rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney in creating organizations and collecting endorsements in the state, and is in a tight race with them in recent state polls. The ex-mayor has wrestled for months over whether to compete in the high-profile event scheduled for Aug. 11 in Ames, Iowa. Iowa Republican Party Chairman Ray Hoffman questioned Giuliani's decision.

"He was never in it officially. He's still going to be a part of the ballot and people who like him can vote for him. I believe it's a mistake but I'm not running his campaign," Hoffman said.

A fundraiser for the state GOP, the straw poll traditionally has been a solid measure of a candidate's organizational strength in Iowa. Unlike most states that hold primaries, Iowa holds presidential caucuses, and a strong organization is necessary to ensure voters participate in that contest.

Anyone with a ticket can vote in the straw poll, and the campaigns traditionally purchase blocks of tickets to distribute to their supporters.

Deciding against taking part in the August test is remarkable for the GOP leader in national polls and, perhaps, a recognition by the Giuliani campaign that his rivals are better prepared to turn out supporters in just two months time.

For months, observers have questioned whether Giuliani would bypass Iowa altogether to focus instead on competing later in delegate-rich states such as New York, Florida, New Jersey and California, where his moderate positions on social issue may be more accepted. His support for gay rights and abortion rights runs counter to the conservative stances of many Iowa Republican caucus-goers.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has put extraordinary resources into building a statewide campaign and preparing for the straw poll. His campaign says he is moving forward.

McCain, the Arizona senator who skipped the caucuses in his failed 2000 run, also has a solid campaign team in place and is vigorously campaigning in the state. However, McCain lags both Romney and Giuliani in fundraising and cash-on-hand, and Giuliani's absence from the straw poll may prompt McCain to consider forgoing it as well to save money.

That would leave Romney as the only top-tier candidate competing in the event.

"It is important to treat this as an early test leading up to the Iowa caucuses and that's how we're treating it," said Tim Albrecht, a spokesman for Romney's campaign in Iowa. He noted that the top two finishers in the Iowa caucuses in 2000 had been the top two finishers in the straw poll the previous year. "History will decide how this will effect the campaign."

Bob Haus, a veteran GOP activist in Iowa who is uncommitted in the race, said Giuliani will have a difficult time convincing supporters that he can skip the test vote in August but still compete in the caucuses. "You can't sit out half the game and expect to be the effective closer," he said.

Giuliani's campaign advisers were split on whether to skip the event but ultimately decided against participating in any straw polls anywhere.

On the Democratic side, there also have been divisions within front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton's camp over whether to play in Iowa, her worst state according to a deputy campaign manager. She has said she would.

The straw poll also serves to weed out long-shots from the field. A poor showing has prompted underdog candidates to drop out, and several lesser-known GOP candidates, including former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, are hoping to make their stand in the contest.

In August 1999, Texas Gov. George W. Bush won the Iowa straw poll and months later, the nomination on the way to capturing the presidency.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)