The Iowa Republican State Central Committee has voted unanimously to continue the Iowa Straw Poll, typically held in Ames.

At a meeting Saturday morning, the governing board voted 16-0 to continue to the sponsor the August event that has been held since 1979, and attracts potential presidential candidates to the state before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses in January.

In the past the event has been on held on ISU campus in August prior to a presidential election year.

“In 2014, through extreme heat and cold, Iowans worked to elect the strongest Republican delegation we’ve sent to Washington in years. These are the same voters and volunteers who make our first-in-the-nation caucuses so special and who have traditionally made the August straw poll such an exciting experience,” said Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party. 

“The Central Committee recognizes the straw poll fundraiser is not only an important organizing event for Iowa Republicans, but also provides the only opportunity during the Iowa Caucus process where candidates can speak to tens of thousands of voters in a single event. I look forward to working together with activists and candidates to ensure the 2015 Iowa Straw Poll fundraiser is a vibrant and mutually-beneficial event.”

The event has come under criticism from some Republicans in the state, including Gov. Terry Branstad.

“I think the straw poll has outlived its usefulness. It has been a great fundraiser for the party but I think its days are over,” Branstad told the Wall Street Journal following his reelection in November.

Supporters of the event say it is a way for potential candidates to test their popularity among Iowa voters.

U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who represents Ames, expressed support for the event in mid-December, saying the event would continue via his Twitter account.

“The Ames Straw Poll will take place. RNC rules do not address, let alone prohibit. History, tradition, grassroots & good sense commands it,” King tweeted.

The event has not typically been a great predictor of success for the caucus, which is held several months later in January. In the events history, only former President George W. Bush was able to win the straw poll and later win the presidency during the 2000 general election.

At the 2007 event, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the straw poll, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who ignored the straw poll altogether, won the GOP nomination but later fell to Barack Obama in the 2008 general election.

The 2011 event was similar, with former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachman, R-Minn., winning the straw poll, while former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., won the Iowa caucus. Romney won the Republican presidential nomination, only to fall to incumbent President Barack Obama in the 2012 general election.

The meeting and vote Jan. 10 did not choose a location and date for this year’s event. A committee will decide specific details before the next board meeting.