With the Republican Party of Florida hosting the Presidency 5 conference and straw poll in September, all eyes will be on candidates aiming for the Republican nomination to take on Barack Obama.



Presidency 5, set for Orlando Sept. 2224, will feature a straw poll the fourth one at the cattle show put on by the RPOF.



The RPOF boasts that the previous three straw polls produced the eventual Republican nominee, and they have a point. But with rare exceptions like Wendell Willkie in 1940 the Republicans usually nominate the frontrunner who, almost always, has run for the presidency before.



The one nominee in recent years who never previously ugg boots outlet coupons ran for the presidency was George W. Bush back in 2000 but he was the son and namesake of the last Republican president.



Looking back on prior Presidency straw polls, frontrunners reinforce their favorite status by winning, while second place often turns out to be an illusion.



The first Presidency straw poll was held in November 1979, and it proved to be somewhat decisive in shaping the rest of the race. While Ronald Reagan had given incumbent Gerald Ford a close battle for the Republican presidential nomination in 1976, there was a pack of GOP hopefuls who felt Democrat Jimmy Carter was weak. Former uggs coupons Texas Gov. John Connally a former Democrat wooed over to the GOP by Richard Nixon and best remembered today for his gunshot wound during the JFK assassination in Dallas had more money than any other candidate in the race and expected to trip Reagan up in the straw poll.



With the support of the state party, Reagan prevailed, taking 36 percent. Bush, who was starting to emerge as a national force. Bush took 21 percent, setting the stage for his surprising victory in the Iowa caucus and his rise to the vice presidency under Reagan.



With the support of thenGov. Bob Martinez and most of the party leadership in the Sunshine State, Bush trounced the field in the Presidency 2 straw poll in November 1987, while some of the other candidates stayed home. Bush took 57 percent with second place going to evangelical leader Pat Robertson at 37 percent. Third place, at 3 percent, went to Jack Kemp, who did not speak at the event. Bob Dole, who would go on to win the Iowa caucus, Pete duPont and Alexander Haig lagged behind.



While Bush ultimately won the 1988 general election, he did face challenges for the Republican nomination in 1992 from conservative commentator Pat Buchanan and former Louisiana state legislator and white supremacist leader David Duke. The RPOF did not host a straw poll during that election cycle. senator who had made previous bids for national office as Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976, as well as stabs at the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and 1988 was the man to beat, despite flopping badly in the last straw polls. education secretary, tried to trip Dole up. Dole took 33 percent of the vote to win the poll, with Gramm taking 26 percent and Alexander 23 percent.



While Dole went on to win the nomination, Gramm flopped badly on the campaign trail and didn't even survive to make it to New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary. Buchanan, who was once again seeking the Republican nomination, downplayed the straw poll but still garnered 9 percent there. Buchanan went on to win New Hampshire against Dole.



Another candidate who did surprisingly well in the primaries, businessman and publisher Steve Forbes, took less than 1 percent in the Florida straw poll.



With Republicans in Florida including thenGov. Jeb Bush, of course firmly behind George W. Bush in 2000, there was no Presidency event for that election cycle. The same held true in the 2004 campaign, when the president garnered no challengers in the primaries.



While the RPOF staged Presidency 4 in October 2007, they decided against a straw poll, although they held a debate between the various candidates which was televised on CNN. Attendees included eventual winner John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo (who would pull out of the race before the actual first contest).



Romney and Paul should be back as they seek the nomination once again in 2012. Giuliani has left the door open to making a second stab at the nomination. Rep. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former Gov. Rep. Rep. Thad McCotter of Michigan, former state Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Gov. George Pataki of New York, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, former Gov. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Bush, George Pataki, George W. Bush, Herman Cain, Jeb Bush, Jimmy Carter, John Bolton, John Connally, John McCain, Jon Hunstman, Lamar Alexander, Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, News, Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan, Pat Robertson, Pete duPont, Peter King, Phil Gramm, Presidency 5, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Ronald Reagan, Roy Moore, RPOF, Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Palin, Steve Forbes, Thad McCotter, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Tancredo, Politics