In the aftermath of the Iowa Straw Poll, many Iowans are wondering what the results of the GOP rally had for the presidential candidates.

Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science, said the results meant a number of different things. With his victory, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney solidifies his position as the leader, Schmidt said.

The second-place finish of former Governor Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., established a new order of GOP candidates.

“I always felt that Huckabee was the one who would connect better with Iowa Republicans than some of the others, because he is really a true old-fashioned conservative and has always been conservative on a lot of issues,” he said.

Schmidt said he thinks Huckabee will move up in the polls after this finish.

There was also some financial support gained from the event for the party as a whole because it was also a fundraiser, Schmidt said.

Since the straw poll, one candidate has pulled out of the race. Former Governor Tommy Thompson, R-Wis., announced Sunday he was dropping out of the presidential race. Schmidt wasn’t surprised.

“I also thought that Thompson would pull out and he did, because he really was not doing very well,” he said.

Schmidt said all political events are important, especially in a year with so many candidates running for their party’s nomination.

He said people all over the country were interested in this event, which shows the event’s importance.

“Any event that gets that much media attention and therefore informs the public all over the country, in Ames but also the rest of the country, is by definition an important event,” he said.

Presidential candidates former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did not participate in the straw poll in Ames last week.

Many have been saying because of the absence of these two candidates, the straw poll lost some of its significance. However, Schmidt said there was a different reason.

“The straw poll is important because Giuliani and McCain decided not to participate because they didn’t think they could do very well,” he said.

Jordan Navara, executive director of the ISU College Republicans and senior in political science, said he thought the event was well attended and the “event of the summer” for the party.

Navara said he thought the Iowa Straw Poll has a great importance in the campaign and shows the different strengths of the different campaigns.

“I think it’s certainly the first real test,” he said.