Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) said on Tuesday that the Ames Straw Poll, which has been conducted in Iowa for Republican presidential nominees since 1979, needs to come to an end. Branstad pointed to the failed primary run of the 2011 Ames winner Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), as an example that the poll may not be the best measure of Republican nominees.
“I think the straw poll has outlived its usefulness,” Branstad told the Wall Street Journal. “It has been a great fundraiser for the party but I think its days are over.”
