The Iowa Republican Party has bowed to the inevitable and canceled the Iowa Straw Poll, a cattle call for candidates that over the decades has proved to be a burden for campaigns.  Historically held in Ames in mid-summer before the Iowa Caucuses the following January, the straw poll had been held since 1979.  Its death knell was sounded when most of the major GOP presidential candidates announced they would skip the poll. Des Moines Register: There were three reasons the Iowa GOP board decided to not go forward with the Aug. 8 event in Boone, Kaufmann said. There was too little interest from the presidential contenders; the fundraiser likely wouldn't have made enough money to break even; and there were concerns about jeopardizing Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses — Iowa party officials were getting blowback from national influencers for appearing to be bullying contenders to compete. "Am I disappointed? Yes," Kaufmann said....(Read Full Post)