straw poll

Smith wins another straw poll

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:40:46 -0400

Fred Smith has won another straw poll.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate was the top vote-getter at the Guilford County Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.

He picked up 62 votes, while Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory got 35, former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr got 14 and Salisbury attorney Bill Graham got two.

Smith has also won straw polls in at least eight counties — Buncombe, Wake, Henderson, Catawba, Rutherford, Cleveland, McDowell and Graham — as well as at the state party's Hall of Fame dinner in Cary.

Orr, meantime, won the Swain County Lincoln-Reagan Day event, where he was keynote speaker.

Update: Smith also won straw polls at the Wayne County and Carteret County conventions.

Smith wins Henderson straw poll

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:44:49 -0400

Fred Smith won a straw poll in Henderson County.

At the Henderson County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Lunch Saturday, the Republican gubernatorial candidate received 81 votes, the Burlington Times-News reports.

Former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, who is from Hendersonville, received 36. Salisbury attorney Bill Graham came in third with 14 votes and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory picked up 10 votes.

A spokesman for Smith said that he also won recent straw polls in Rutherford and Catawba counties.

Voters in the straw poll also picked U.S. Sen. Richard Burr to be John McCain's running mate.

He got 43 votes, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 22, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with 12, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford with 11 and former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney with 10.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Graham's support.

Fred Smith draws straws

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:39:16 -0400

Fred Smith is winning the race — at the straw polls.

The state senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate picked up three more wins this weekend in the informal votes that take place at Republican Party functions.

By Dome's count, Smith has won, usually handily, straw polls in at least six counties — Buncombe, Wake, Henderson, Catawba, Rutherford and Cleveland — as well as at the state party's Hall of Fame dinner in Cary.

His Republican rivals — former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, Salisbury Attorney Bill Graham and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory — tend to trade the other spots on the list, with McCrory doing particularly poorly.

Smith's team has attributed his wins to his barbecue tour, but it could also reflect his appeal among the typical red-meat crowd at Republican dinners.

Update: Orr won the Swain County Lincoln-Reagan Day event, where he was the guest speaker, reports Jordan Schrader.

Smith wins Buncombe straw poll

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:54:45 -0500

Fred Smith won a straw poll in Buncombe County.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate came in first among attendees of the Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner in Asheville Saturday, the Asheville Citizen-Times reports.

Smith received 50 votes; former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr received 23; Salisbury attorney Bill Graham received 17; and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory got no votes.

McCrory's standing may have been hurt by the fact that he did not attend. Smith also did not attend, since he was in Brunswick County.

Orr, who grew up in Hendersonville, may have been helped by his mountain background.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the attendance.

Smith wins Wake GOP straw poll

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:02:40 -0500

Fred Smith won the Wake County GOP straw poll.

At the President's Day Dinner tonight, the Western Wake Republican Club surveyed paid attendees on their preference in the gubernatorial primary.

Smith won 69 votes, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory won 43 votes, former Supreme Court justice Bob Orr won 28 votes and Salisbury attorney Bill Graham won nine votes.

Graham's showing may have been hurt by the fact that he was the only one of the four who was not in attendance, however.

On the calendar

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:37:49 -0500

The state Republican Party will hold its annual Hall of Fame fund raising banquet Saturday night at the Embassy Suites in Cary.

Besides honoring party members for their past work, the banquet will also feature a straw poll in the GOP primary for governor.