Voters Prep For Idaho Straw Poll

It’s a big month for politics and Idaho is in the mix.

First, Iowa is in the spotlight with Tuesday’s big caucus. New Hampshire will follow with it’s primary on Jan. 10. Not to be outdone, Idaho is conducting a straw poll this weekend right in the middle of these preliminary votes.

It’s scheduled for Friday night – the day before the governor’s ball and a party convention. Organizers are expecting a decent turnout, but don’t have solid numbers in yet.

Lyn Bidstrup will cast his vote in Idaho’s first ever straw poll this weekend.

He said the Republican presidential nomination belongs to anyone at this point.

“A lot of us don’t know. Our mind’s not made up,” said Bidstrup.

He said he’s looking forward to a little persuasion come Friday.

“There will be representatives for the candidates who will pitch which candidate is best and then we’ll vote,” said Bidstrup.

Reporter Jessica Crandall caught up with Idaho Republican party Executive Director Jonathan Parker on Monday afternoon. He estimated about 250 tickets have been sold for the event so far, at $30 a pop.

Organizers expect between 400 – 1,000 voters to turn up for the straw poll. Anyone can come whether they live in Boise or in eastern Idaho.

As far as any potential appearances by presidential candidates, they may be held up on the east coast.

“At this time I believe we will just have surrogates because of the timing, but one of the primary reasons we’re doing this is to bring attention and make people aware that Idaho has adopted a caucus,” said Parker.

That open caucus, also a state first, will not be held until March. Don Schanz, Republican party chairman for Bonneville County, said this straw poll is mainly a precursor to that as well as a good way to boost revenue.

“It’s also a fundraiser and probably primarily a fundraiser for the Republican party,” said Schanz.

Schanz also pointed out that Idaho has 32 Republican delegates. That’s more than controversial states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada.

So what exactly is a straw poll?

In this case, it’s an informal vote predicting which candidate Republicans in the state of Idaho most favor.

It will be held Fri, Jan. 6, from 7-10 p.m. at the Riverside Hotel in Boise. It’s open to the public. Tickets are $30.