Rick Santorum speaks at the Dayton Christian School March 5. That night, Santorum won the Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll for the second time. Photo taken by Eric Gay of the AP.
The following night after Rick Santorum last won a Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll, he went onto win caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado, as well as a nonbinding primary in Missouri.
After winning another straw poll administered by the same Tea Party on the eve of Super Tuesday, could the former U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania be in store for another big night?
With many of the same participants in Monday’s poll as the first Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll Feb. 6, Santorum finished with 42 percent of the vote. Overall, there wasn’t much change at the top spot since Santorum netted 41 percent of the vote in February.
“I believe Rick Santorum is an honorable man whose heart is in the right place,” said David Kern of Liberty Township. “All four of these candidates could and should beat Barack Obama.”
According to recent Ohio polls, Santorum appears to be in a dead heat with Mitt Romney, who gained some significant ground in the Tea Party straw poll.
Less than a month ago, Romney had 19 percent of the vote. On Monday, he jumped up to 32 percent, taking votes away from Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.
Mitt Romney waves to the crowd after his campaign speech at Montgomery Inn Restaurant at The Boathouse in Cincinnati March 3. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.
“I voted for Romney because I like his business experience,” said Liberty Township resident Mike Gardner. “He knows how to budget money and I believe he has the right thoughts on how to put the country on the right path.”
In the last straw poll, Gardner voted for Gingrich.
“I would rather have Newt, but unfortunately the general population will look at his past history and may not consider him because of that,” Gardner said. “Mitt Romney doesn’t have any past history that may cause him to lose votes.”
Gardner has also been affected by what he has seen recently on television – including an advertisement where former business partner Robert Gay credited Romney with helping him save his daughter.
Surprisingly slipping in the latest Tea Party straw poll was Gingrich and Paul.
Gingrich, who fell from 32 percent in February to 21 percent on Monday, was the only Republican presidential candidate to visit West Chester and Liberty townships. Just this past Saturday, Gingrich spoke at the Back Porch Saloon in West Chester in front of some Liberty Township Tea Party members.
Paul, who is the only candidate with a campaign office in West Chester, failed to gain any ground – receiving 7 percent of the vote in February and only 5 percent on Monday. Ironically, the Cincinnati Tea Party paid for the space used for the local campaign office.
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