Branson Tea Party Staw Poll (Results & Full Press Release Below)

Eric Farris, seen above with Missouri District 29 Senate contender Jam and Taney County Assessor James Strahan discuss the Republican landscape at a straw poll being conducted by Tea Party platform friendly organizations across the state of Missouri. Farris estimated an attendence of 200 people and sacrificed the interior of his vehicle transporting chili to feed hungry citizens many of who sat to discuss politics at the Branson Community Center Monday night. (Poll results Not Yet Published

Public gathering after ballots were cast at a straw poll being conducted by Missouri  organizations associated with regional Tea Party groups

MISSOURI STATEWIDE TEA PARTY

PRESIDENTIAL STRAW POLL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 21, 2011
CONTACT:  Jeannine Huskey  (636) 549-3242 (office); (636) 938-9348 (cell)
CAMPatriots@charter.net
A coalition of conservative grassroots organizations in Missouri have COMPLETED a Statewide Presidential Straw Poll from November 9-16, 2011, which were conducted from various poll stations across the state of Missouri organized by Citizens Alliance for Missouri Patriots, a Missouri 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES TABULATED IN THIS STRAW POLL IS 995.
In order to make publicly known the preferences of the Missouri tea party and grassroots activists for current Republican candidates running in the 2012 presidential race, the following groups and individuals came to a consensus about forming a statewide straw poll in which their groups’ opinions would challenge all other polls and political news coverage broadcast by the mainstream media outlets.
POLL LOCATION GROUP / INDIVIDUAL POLL HOST
Blue Springs Individual David Lay
Boonville Individual Ron Swift
Branson Branson Tea Party Eric Farris
Camdenton Camdenton Tea Party Cliff Luber
Cape Girardeau Cape County Tea Party Brian Bollmann
Chesterfield, St. Peters, Warrenton Concerned Women of America Bev Ehlen
Eureka Eureka Tea Party/CAMP Jeannine Huskey
Jefferson City Capitol Tea Party Phil Todd
Joplin SW Conservative Network John Putnam
Kansas City Free For All of Greater Kansas City Karen Randall
Kansas City, Lee’s Summit Republican Women of Kansas City Nola Wood
Lebanon Lebanon Tea Party Todd “Ike” Skelton
Lee’s Summit Free For All of Greater Kansas City Jamie Barker Landes
Springfield The Young Conservatives of America Thomas Martz
St. Joseph St. Joseph Tea Party Maggie Siegmund
St. Louis Individual Patricia Breed
As the President and Founder of Citizens Alliance for Missouri Patriots (CAMP), this straw poll was created and conducted using an online program referred to as Zoomerang®, purchased and licensed by CAMP.  The Poll Station Hosts were all responsible in managing their poll station by accumulating online and paper ballot votes with registered Missouri voters who came to their nearest registered poll location.  
To see the location map of poll stations in Missouri, go here:  http://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=283031
STRAW POLL RESULTS:
The results of the Missouri Statewide Tea Party Presidential Straw Poll (taken from November 9-16, 2011) are as follows:
CANDIDATE PERCENTAGE NUMBER OF VOTES
Herman Cain 32% 320
Ron Paul 28% 282
Newt Gingrich 28% 276
Mitt Romney 3% 32
Michele Bachmann 3% 31
Rick Perry 3% 30
Rick Santorum 1% 13
Jon Huntsman 1% 3
Carl Person 1% 2
Lee Wrights 1% 2
Roger Gary 1% 2
Gary Johnson 1% 1
Barack Obama 1% 1
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Below are the additional comments included by some of the group leaders who hosted the straw poll stations (which may be utilized as quotes in any press coverage of this Straw Poll):
BRANSON
The results of this Missouri Tea Party Straw Poll are significant in its simple statement as to who the conservative grassroots do NOT support for President as much as who they DO support.  Those who are striving to advance the core values of the Tea Party Movement (i.e., fiscal responsibility, constitutionally-limited government, and economic freedom), reveal with their votes in this straw poll that, although members of Patriot groups across the State of Missouri do not support the same candidate for President, the vast majority agree on who they do not support and have narrowed their choices to a select few.
---Eric Farris, Director (Branson Tea Party Coalition)
EUREKA
“This straw poll is another tool for the people’s voice to be heard about the choices being offered as presidential candidates for 2012.  Many came and participated, wanting to support their current candidate of choice, although some felt no candidate really struck a chord with the Tea Party movement.  We do reserve the right to change our opinions as the political landscape changes over time, but as of this moment in time we desire to state that Missouri is watching and that we are earnestly motivated to search for our country’s most liberty minded candidate to hold the highest office in our land.”
---Jeannine Huskey (Eureka Tea Party/CAMP)




KANSAS CITY
“Many have incorrectly stated that the Tea Party movement has faded into the background of the American political scene when this is further from the truth.  The Tea Party Movement has moved beyond the protesting stage into the land of action.  This movement stands between chaos and order; we are a force to be reckoned with for both parties.”  
---Granketha Major (Kansas City’s Free For All)
KANSAS CITY
The Republican Women of Greater Kansas City and KC Conservatives were glad to have the opportunity to participate in the straw poll, to weigh in on this process at the grassroots level.  There has been frustration over the process of selecting our presidential candidates through primaries that have left many wondering if Republicans were really getting to choose our own candidates, or if the media and crossover voters were telling us who we could choose.  Sadly, that has resulted in some of our conservative voters “sitting it out” in past election years, due to dissatisfaction with the final choice.  We must do better this time, to steer our nation back on the right course!
---Nola Wood, President (Republican Women of Greater Kansas City)
LEBANON
“There is no greater time in America’s history for the people to assert their power and band together in our struggle for Liberty.  The Tea Party movement must stay informed and must stay engaged in the fight against tyranny in our time.”
---Todd Isaac Skelton (Core Group Member, Lebanon Tea Party)
SAINT LOUIS
“It was a great opportunity to present this to my community.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting fellow Patriots who have a great desire to bring our great Country back to her Founding Principles and protect our God-given rights.  Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this event.”
---Patricia Breed, St. Louis
SPRINGFIELD
“The Y.O.U.N.G. Conservatives of America would like to thank all voters for their careful consideration as to who can best lead this country into prosperity for the remainder of this decade and into the future.”  
---Tom Martz, TYCOA
ST. JOSEPH
“We have an active fully committed group of over 300 Tea Party Patriot Members here in Northwest Missouri. We are a community committed to standing together, shoulder to shoulder, to protect our country and the Constitution upon which we were founded! We are dedicated to educating our members in the Constitution and Founding Principles, and to have our members share that information as they go about their business in our communities.”
– Maggie Siegmund, Ellis Cross (St. Joseph Tea Party)

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Eric Farris and James Strahan