PRESS RELEASE:

Maxwell, IA. A nationwide Straw Poll conducted by Grassfire.org in the week prior to Fred Thompson’s presidential bid announcement finds that grassroots conservatives favor Fred Thompson by a greater than 2-to-1 margin over his nearest competitor -- a 4 percent increase since May.

When asked whom they would vote for if the Republican primary were held today, 28 percent preferred Fred Thompson (up from 26 percent in May), whose closest rival, Mitt Romney, gained 14 percent of the vote (down 2 percent from May). “Despite talk of Thompson’s stalled campaign this summer, conservatives have not lost confidence in the former Senator,” says Grassfire.org President Steve Elliott.

Rep. Ron Paul showed the biggest gain from Grassfire’s May poll, rising from seventh position (6 percent) to a solid third position (13 percent) – more than a 50 percent increase in support among grassroots conservatives. Mike Huckabee’s support also rose, from 3 to 7 percent. “Paul’s rise shows that conservatives are not all that thrilled with the anointed front-runners,” says Elliott. “Paul’s message is resonating with many conservatives, and it would be wise for the other candidates to take note.”

Other findings:

•Although they favor Thompson, conservatives still expect Giuliani to win the nomination.
•Conservatives warn of an exodus should Giuliani face Clinton in the general election with 29% indicating they would abstain or vote for a third party -- an increase of 4% from Grassfire’s May poll. Slightly less (25%) warned of an exodus in a Romney-Clinton general election.
•Conservatives now overwhelmingly expect Clinton to win the Democratic nomination (70%, up from 50% in May). The expectation of an Obama nomination dropped from 29 to 15%.
•Conservatives have given up on McCain. The Senator lost half his support (down to 4%) while dropping by two-thirds among those who think he is likely to win (from 14 to 4%).
•Support for “staying the course” in Iraq dropped from 67% in May to 58% in August, while the percentage of conservatives calling for withdrawal rose from 16 to 22%.

Survey methodology: Grassfire.org conducted the survey August 27-September 2. All active Grassfire.org team members were invited to participate. 39,440 participated. The survey has a margin of error of less than 1% at a 99% confidence level for the Grassfire.org audience of approximately 1 million grassroots conservatives.

For more information about Grassfire.org, or to schedule an interview with Grassfire President Steve Elliott, contact Ron De Jong at 757-487-7900 or email Ron De Jong

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