Amid growing concerns of its relevance, the Iowa Republican Party State Central Committee voted unanimously Friday morning to cancel the annual Iowa Straw Poll.

The decision also comes as several 2016 candidates said they would skip the gathering and others signaling they would not spend any campaign money on the event even if they did attend.

Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann has been an outspoken supporter of the straw poll and has been urging candidates to attend. Iowa Republicans have also been courting candidates to attend as recently as last weekend at U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” event.

“I’ve said since December that we would only hold a straw poll if the candidates wanted one, and this year that is just not the case,” Kaufmann said.

“For that reason I called a special meeting to update the [Iowa] State Central Committee, which then voted unanimously this morning to cancel the event. This step, while extremely distasteful for those of us who love the Straw Poll,” he added.

2016 hopefuls Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio were all planning to skip the straw poll this cycle, while Rick Santorum has said he was planning to not spend any money. 

Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who is seen as the current frontrunner in Iowa, has ducked questions on whether he would attend, instead saying he is not a candidate yet.

“Many candidates are still concerned about participating in an event that carries significant media-driven expectations well ahead of our First in the Nation Caucuses,” Kaufmann said. “While we still deeply believe that the Straw Poll offers a fantastic opportunity for candidates, we need to focus on strengthening our First in the Nation status and putting a Republican back in the White House.”

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has said in the past he believes the straw poll may have “outlived its relevance.”

The main focus of that criticism may have been the winners the straw poll produced. Some say winners like former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who won in 2012, is not a fair representation of who can win the Iowa Caucus and other state primaries after Iowa. 

The straw poll, held since 1979, was originally held every cycle on the Iowa State campus in Ames, but the Central Committee voted to move it to Boone earlier this year. The state GOP also hoped changes such as paying for tents and providing food instead of forcing campaigns to pay may attract more candidates to participate.

“Canceling the event is not a decision anyone on the State Central Committee took lightly, and I commend them for the thorough, thoughtful job they’ve done,” Kaufmann said.

“Iowa is first in the nation because of our strong grassroots tradition and because we believe in a process that gives equal chance to all candidates. We also believe in hosting a process that puts our candidates in the best position possible to win the White House in 2016,” he added.