Romney Scales Back Straw Poll Plans

[Omaha Steve]

Source: as

By AMY LORENTZEN

ALGONA, Iowa (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Saturday he has scaled back plans for a straw poll in Iowa next month that two chief rivals are bypassing.

He said he hopes to do well, but "we're not trying to overshoot dramatically." That means reducing the budget for the straw poll Aug. 11 in Ames and the number of supporters his campaign plans to bus in to the event.


Republican presidential hopeful and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to supporters at the Ida Grove Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, in Ida Grove, Iowa, Friday, July 20, 2007.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

In June, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain bowed out of the decades-old nonbinding contest. Romney has put great resources into preparing for the event, which now shapes up as a contest involving several lesser-known contenders.

"I think initially we planned to bring in a very large number of folks from across the state for the straw poll," Romney told reporters. "We've cut back on our target from that standpoint to a level where we think we can win, but we're not trying to overwhelm anybody."

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070721/D8QH4R801.html