The Jefferson County Republican Party on Saturday conducted a straw poll that resulted in the top 3 GOP Presidential contenders finishing within just 5 votes of each other. Results were as follows:
Mitt Romney: 89
Newt Gingrich: 87
Rick Santorum: 84
Ron Paul: 22
Straw polls are rarely a reflection of where races actually stand. However, they do many times indicate how well organized campaigns are in the area in which the straw poll is conducted. With that in mind, the straw poll results for two races caught my eye.
U.S. House of Representatives, District 6
Spencer Bachus: 143
Scott Beason: 120
Al Mickle: 13
David Standridge: 10
I really wish Stan Pate and his vast financial resources had stayed in this race and made things a little more unpredictable. As things stand right now, the bloodbath that everyone expected in the 6th Congressional District just has not materialized. Beason’s team has put together a solid ground game and volunteer base and their efforts made the straw poll results this close.
Before everyone starts sending me emails about Bachus buying tickets and bringing people in to vote — that’s what happens at straw polls and is yet another reason why the results don’t represent reality. However, isn’t that sort of a microcosm of this race? The scrappy insurgency can’t quite overcome the resources of the incumbent.
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice
Chuck Malone: 171
Roy More: 59
Charlie Graddick: 29
Chief Justice Malone put a beat-down on his straw poll competition on Saturday. “My campaign has a lot of momentum and the straw poll results in Jefferson County are reflective of the same type of support I received as I travel throughout the state,” Malone said. “I am honored to serve the people of Alabama as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and I am the only candidate with a plan to address the budgetary shortfalls in the judicial system.”
Malone is well-known in GOP circles throughout the state so the straw poll results don’t come as a huge surprise to me, although the margin is impressive. Increasing his name recognition with average Alabamians has been Chief Justice Malone’s biggest challenge. With a little over a week left, I’m not sure he’ll be able to close that gap with Graddick.
Either way, the state will be in good hands with either Graddick or Malone running the courts.
The rest of the results from the Jefferson County Straw Poll are below.
U.S. House of Representatives, District 7
Don Chamberlain: 146
Phillip Norris: 40
Alabama Supreme Court Place 2
Tommy Bryan 164
Debra Jones 43
PSC President
Twinkle Cavanaugh 148
Kathy Peterson 87
Chip Brown 23
State Board of Education
David Black 90
Jeff Newman 75
Circuit Court 6 – Civil
Lee Cleveland: 60
David Faulkner: 155
Circuit Court 13 – Civil
Lea Bone: 111
Pat Thetford: 89
District Court 3 – Family
Davis Lawley: 132
Dale Snodgrass: 80
District Court 6 – Criminal
John Halcomb: 118
Gloria Bahakel: 98
District Court 12 -Bessemer- Family
Jill Ganus: 161
Austin Burdick: 30
Constable 44
Jonathan Barbee: 83
Stephen Mosely: 83
Constable 45
Jim Atkinson: 104
JD Broadwater: 39
Constable 51
Ronnie Dixon: 114
Gary Buchanan: 24
Allen Graves: 30
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