A strong showing by Republican presidential hopefuls at an Ames campaign event in August could pave the way to the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, an ISU political expert said.

The Iowa Republican Party announced plans this week to hold the Iowa Republican Presidential Straw Poll on Aug. 11, 2007, at Hilton Coliseum.

The poll, a signature event for the Republican Party of Iowa, offers GOP presidential front-runners an opportunity to gauge their popularity among Iowa voters before the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses in January of 2008.

Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women in Politics, said the poll can build momentum and credibility for candidates before the caucuses.

“What the straw poll could do is give an early bounce to a campaign,” Bystrom said. “It gives a boost by testing the organizational strength of a campaign because you get your backers to show up and vote for you.”

Although George W. Bush received the most votes in the last Iowa straw poll in 1999, Bystrom said Elizabeth Dole’s third-place finish cemented her position as a presidential contender, although she later pulled out of the race before the Iowa caucuses.

She stressed, however, that poll participants don’t represent a fair sample of Iowa citizens, and a strong finish doesn’t guarantee success.

“It’s not scientific by any means,” she said.

Sarah Sauber, communications director for the Iowa Republican Party, said the 1999 straw poll, which was also held at Hilton Coliseum, accurately predicted the outcomes of the 2000 Iowa caucuses and the national presidential race that put Bush in the White House.

Although ticket prices haven’t yet been announced, Sauber predicted at least 30,000 Iowans will participate in August. She said the Iowa Republican Party chose Hilton Coliseum because of its seating capacity and its central location in Iowa.

She said participants will vote for their candidate in booths located in and around Hilton Coliseum, and candidates can set up tents outside where they can interact with voters before delivering speeches inside the arena.

“Basically, it’s just a great way for people who aren’t affiliated with one candidate or another to meet all of them all at once,” Sauber said.

No candidates have yet committed to attend the poll, but Sauber said she expects candidates to accept invitations this spring. She said the Iowa Republican Party will invite all GOP candidates to participate.

Although no Republicans have officially thrown their hat in the ring to succeed Bush, several front-runners for the 2008 Republican nomination have said they are considering a run, including U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and outgoing Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.