Expectations
Steve Forbes has made a
major commitment of time and money in Iowa since his 1996 campaign, and
he needed a strong showing in the straw poll. In 1997-98, through
his issues advocacy organization Americans for Hope, Growth and Opportunity
(AHGO), Forbes made 13 trips to Iowa totalling 16 days. In the first
six months of 1999 he added another 8 days.
Starting on June 2, 1999
the Forbes campaign began running a major advertising campaign in Iowa
and other key states; a second round of ads followed beginning on July
26. On the eve of the straw poll the Forbes campaign aired a half
hour program in which Forbes, joined by Steve Grubbs and Nancy Streck,
took callers' questions.
Forbes has built one of the
larger campaign organizations in Iowa. And he has put in time in
the state. Forbes did events in 77 counties in his pre-straw poll bus tour,
which ran in two legs from July 11-17 and July 25 through to the straw
poll (with just one break for the Midwest Leadership Conference).
 |
 |
 |
 |
| (August 12, 1999) On the
second leg of his
Iowa bus tour Steve Forbes spoke to a crowd at the Historical Complex in
Winterset. |
|
Outcome: Second--4,921
Votes (20.8%)
Forbes obtained 4,921 votes,
finishing second.
After the results were
announced, Steve Forbes spoke to reporters on the floor of the Hilton Coliseum:
...The real message tonight
is principles is how you win an election. No message, no victory.
We showed tonight that substance beats glitz. That gratifies our
faith in the Iowa voters and ultimately in the American voters.
QUESTION: Mr. Forbes, how
did you show that substance beats glitz tonight?
We did it by the fact that
everyone, virtually everyone, in the pundit world, in the media world,
in the Washington lobbyist establishment had proclaimed Governor Bush the
winner far in advance. Now we see we have a vigorous contest.
I visited almost 80 counties
in recent weeks, going from town to town, county to county giving my positive
message. That's how we got the turnout today--the power of the message--delivering
the message and the people came. That is immensely gratifying.
QUESTION: inaudible
I think the choice is very
clear right now, between a status quo establishment that's content just
to work around the edges versus an independent outsider who wants to make
positive, substantive change. You can see it in the proposals I've
put forth on the tax code; you can see what I've put forth on Social Security,
education, health care, farm prices, the life issue. All substance.
Substance is how you win...
