Big Win in Jefferson County

[BrianH]

Here's the final totals:

...............Votes Percent
Ron Paul...298 35.56%
Huckabee..263 31.38%
Romney....132 15.75%
Guiliani.......25 2.98%
McCain........38 4.53%
Thompson...78 9.31%
Hunter..........3 0.36%
Keyes............1 0.12%
Total ....... 838 100%
http://files.meetup.com/523165/Jefferson%20Co%20GOP%20Caucus%20results.jpg

[tonyTheBest]

that's a big win. Let's see.

[BrianH]

above numbers were confirmed and phoned in now. The only County Win for Ron Paul in Iowa

[Azprint]

Woah, way to go Jefferson county!

[VRP08]

Woah, way to go Jefferson county!


That is awesome!

[NYgs23]

I wonder if that would mathematically move us up to 11%. I hope there's not funny business. I'm not saying there is, but you really can't know for sure, can you?

[Ethek]

Why would the chairman leave?

[hawks4ronpaul]

What is the demographic there?

http://hawks4ronpaul.blogspot.com/

[ronpaulblogsdotcom]

No its not enough for 11%. We need like 1000 votes for 11% with others get no votes. Maybe 550 if they round up. Ya I am a math nerd, I checked.

[jmdrake]

How does Iowa award delegates? In Tennessee if you win a congressional district you get those delegates regardless of how you do in the rest of the state (if I understand this right).

Regards,

John M. Drake

[BarryDonegan]

dominated.

[TN_VOL]

At http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/county/#val=IAREP6 they show Jefferson county with 0% reporting so something looks fishy here.

[Mani]

awesome!

[ForTheRevolution]

wonder why its one of like 2 counties reporting as N/A on the politico charts....

but HOORAY

[Azprint]

Just added. Twas true :)

[RonPaulVolunteer]

We are still waiting for confirmation from one precinct as the chairman left with the ballots. But all the witnesses have agreed on the count prior to him disappearing! But they are holding out to get a physical count of the ballots.

Here's the unofficial totals:

...............Votes Percent
Ron Paul...298 35.56%
Huckabee..263 31.38%
Romney....132 15.75%
Guiliani.......25 2.98%
McCain........38 4.53%
Thompson...78 9.31%
Hunter..........3 0.36%
Keyes............1 0.12%
Total ....... 838 100%

OK, we need to talk to these people and find out what they did. We need to learn from them.

.

[rooteroa]

So what did we do in Jefferson County that we didn't do elsewhere and how can we apply that to future states?

[austin4paul]

OK, we need to talk to these people and find out what they did. We need to learn from them.

.

+1000

[Real_CaGeD]

Rons at 10% even.

[ForTheRevolution]

Hey I found out why!!! :p

LIBERTYVILLE, IA is located in Jefferson County. Atleast one place in iowa still knows what liberty means!

wikipedia of libertyville including demographics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertyville,_Iowa)

[Mani]

I think that's the only county that's a non-mitt non-Huckabee county!

At least that's what it shows on the iowagop.net site. (although Jeffereson county is not listed there yet), neither have 3 other counties.

[Ethek]

I think that's the only county that's a non-mitt non-Huckabee county!

At least that's what it shows on the iowagop.net site. (although Jeffereson county is not listed there yet), neither have 3 other counties.

Think we should analyis and copy what we did here. How were the precients organized? how was the GOTV effort? What ads ran here... What was the level of canvasing effort. Whatever happened in Jefferson Co worked.

[kill the banks]

We are still waiting for confirmation from one precinct as the chairman left with the ballots. But all the witnesses have agreed on the count prior to him disappearing! But they are holding out to get a physical count of the ballots.

Here's the unofficial totals:

...............Votes Percent
Ron Paul...298 35.56%
Huckabee..263 31.38%
Romney....132 15.75%
Guiliani.......25 2.98%
McCain........38 4.53%
Thompson...78 9.31%
Hunter..........3 0.36%
Keyes............1 0.12%
Total ....... 838 100%

thx for your great effort brian ... you are one smart man ... help nh with your lessons learned & thx from all of us for your hard work and organization ... we are now 10% double digit , super & virtual statistical tie with 3rd ... also huck is not going to last imo



kill the banks

[tekkierich]

I think it might have something to do with this holistic health movement that is apparently very strong in that area.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119932860523364137.html?mod=hpp_us_pageone

In This Farm Town,
Gurus Transcend Party Politics
Candidates Meet and Greet
Fairfield's Meditators;
Yogic Flyers Gather Tonight
By CHRISTOPHER COOPER
January 3, 2008; Page A1

FAIRFIELD, Iowa -- In the run-up to today's caucuses in Iowa, candidates have had to scrutinize the issues that move voters here. In this town, many care less about immigration than meditation.

"Are you familiar with Transcendental Meditation?" Craig Berg, a bearded man in a faded parka, said as he buttonholed Republican candidate Fred Thompson during a recent campaign stop here.

Candidates typically arrive here prepared for that question. The campaign of Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware has let it be known here that his former chief of staff is an adherent of Transcendental Meditation. During an outdoor rally here last summer, Sen. Barack Obama turned his podium east out of respect for the Transcendental Meditation view that east is the natural direction of energy flow.

Iowa is widely perceived as a homogenous state of meat-eating corn-growing white Protestants. But exceptions to the American Gothic stereotype abound, from the sushi halls of Iowa City and grape trellises of the Amana Colonies to the ultra-orthodox Jews from Brooklyn who run a kosher slaughterhouse in Postville. Here in Fairfield, about 1,700 residents gather each afternoon in a pair of gold domes for a session of group meditation known as Yogic Flying.
[Ed Malloy]

Ahead of today's Iowa caucus, in which even a few dozen votes could tilt the race in many voting precincts, candidates have been making special pitches to demographics as small and eccentric as Fairfield's Transcendental Meditation community. Of this hamlet's 10,000 residents, barely a third of them are transcendental devotees. But their political influence is outsized. For the past six years the town has chosen as its mayor a Transcendental Meditation devotee named Ed Malloy. And for 12 years ending in 2004, Fairfield was home to a peace party, called the Natural Law Party, which hoped to elect a Transcendental Meditation practitioner as president.

Fairfield was a typical Iowa farming community until 1973, when the Maharishi University of Management purchased the bankrupt and discredited Parsons College, once dubbed "FlunkOut U" by a national magazine. Some locals regarded with skepticism the construction of two gold domes wherein Maharishi followers gathered daily for mass meditations. Natives lived uneasily with the outsiders, dubbing them "Rus" (pronounced "rooz") -- a shorthand for "Gurus.''

But the election of Mr. Malloy, a silver-haired and personable oil broker transplanted from Long Island, helped ease those tensions. Also helpful was that the Maharishi high school began turning out scores of national merit scholars who played a role in turning Fairfield into "Silicorn Valley," as it became known around here, home to more than 40 software development and telecom companies.

For politicians, a challenge here is to respect the community's faith in Yogic Flying, or mass meditation. Derived from a combination of quantum physics and the proven benefits of meditation, Yogic Flying occurs each afternoon at 5 p.m. when about 1,700 adherents gather in the gold domes. Supporters say the number 1,700 roughly represents 1% of the nation's population divided by its square root. Supporters believe that when meditation is performed in groups, it confers benefits not only to its individual practitioners but to society at large.

On Mr. Thompson's drive into town, neither the Quantum Mechanic service station nor Utopia trailer park alerted him to the challenges ahead. And he was initially caught off guard by Mr. Berg's reference to Transcendental Meditation.
[map]

Recovering quickly, however, Mr. Thompson managed to name the founder of Transcendental Meditation -- Maharishi Mahesh -- and praise its benefits. "Rested mind and body, huh?" he said. "I could have used that a year ago."

Politically, Fairfield leans left. It belongs to the only county in Iowa that in 2004 placed deep-blue candidate Howard Dean atop the Democratic field, just ahead of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, whose vow to create a federal "Department of Peace" resonated with voters here.

Given those propensities, it's not surprising that barely a handful of supporters showed up to meet the bus of Republican hawk Mr. Thompson. But that doesn't mean Republicans aren't welcome here. The town square is host to several large billboards touting Republican pacifist Ron Paul, and many residents believe his Libertarian views will propel him to a win in this county in today's caucuses. Mayor Malloy and his wife even held a political open house last summer for Mr. Paul, prior to a large rally staged in the town.

But Mr. Paul, perhaps stung by allegations that his campaign has already attracted its share of political eccentrics, is making no to-do of his popularity here. Mr. Paul's deputy campaign manager, Joe Seehusen, carefully emphasizes that the congressman is only "politely intrigued'' by the Transcendental Meditation philosophy.

In response, Mayor Malloy -- who never actually endorsed Mr. Paul -- says, "Only about 50% of what he says resonates with me.''

Democrats, having the most votes to gain here, are trying hardest to win them. In a community where factory hog farms are widely criticized as environmentally hazardous, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson took special pains to bone up on them before attending a town meeting here. "I'd regulate the hell out of them,'' Mr. Richardson vowed.

John Edwards visited the town this week, as did Mr. Richardson. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, has scheduled -- and canceled -- three stops here, according to Mayor Malloy. The Clinton campaign didn't respond to a request for comment.

That seems to have helped Sen. Obama gain an edge. During his visit here last summer, Sen. Obama assured Mayor Malloy of the candidate's respect for Transcendental Meditation and the philosophy behind it. "He said he felt that if there was any candidate in the race to embrace this technique, he was that candidate,'' says Mayor Malloy.

The real Obama weapon, however, may be his wife, Michelle Obama. During a visit to Fairfield last month, she had several long conversations with the mayor's wife. "I think she and my wife are both very spiritual people,'' the mayor says.

Mrs. Obama's visit prompted the mayor to do something he'd never before done -- endorse a candidate. A few days after his introduction of Mrs. Obama at a Fairfield rally last week, Mayor Malloy publicly announced his endorsement of her husband. The winner of four consecutive elections, Mayor Malloy is influential throughout Fairfield.

Yet the mayor may need to push some of his fellow meditation adherents to vote at all. Mr. Berg, the bearded transcendentalist who confronted Mr. Thompson, says, "I doubt I'll caucus -- it comes right in the middle of our program."

By program, he means Yogic Flying. "It's absolutely essential because we're creating this power for the whole nation,'' Mr. Berg says. "It's vastly more important than the caucus.''

But Mayor Malloy insists that no such conflict exists, because the caucus doesn't start until 6:30 p.m. "You can be in the domes on time and out by 6:30,'' says Mayor Malloy. "It's what I plan to do. You know, I respect Mr. Berg's priorities but it sounds like I'll need to give him a call.''

[Ethek]

We'll since personal health is so big there can we take this to mean that Jefferson Co. is a little slice of California right in the middle of Iowa... Thats encouraging.

[Ready2Revolt]

So what did we do in Jefferson County that we didn't do elsewhere and how can we apply that to future states?

I think thats where Iowa State University is.

[MadViking10]

I think thats where Iowa State University is.


BINGO !!!

[austin4paul]

Could be they were receptive to all those positive thoughts we were sending out yesterday, but I'm guessing it's more likely this:


Also helpful was that the Maharishi high school began turning out scores of national merit scholars who played a role in turning Fairfield into "Silicorn Valley," as it became known around here, home to more than 40 software development and telecom companies.


The area is tech-savvy. Therefore, they get their news from reliable internet sources vs. sitting around in easy chairs being force fed MSM BS from Faux News.

Probably the same reason that Paul has such strong support here in Austin.

Let's all just wait to make too many judgment calls until after NH.

[passerby]

Always interesting to hear these stories. There is always variance in life, and you can go a long way by keeping parts of the distribution in mind. Candidates that stand out and stick to what they're good at don't have to share votes.

[Mani]

Check it out:

http://www.iowagop.net/


In a sea of M's and Mikes, there's an RP08 sitting proudly on that map.


Way to go Jeffereson county! You did what neither McCain nor Fred could do in the state of Iowa!

[berkeleybound]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Iowa

[atib]

I think thats where Iowa State University is.

LOL

Iowa State University is in AMES. RP did well there though.

Fairfield is a excentric little liberal (and classical liberal) haven in the middle of bumbfuck nowhere. We have the Maharishi University of management and several internet and telecom companies based here.

[dvictr]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Iowa

edit this with the ron paul history@!

[BrianH]

It was a very long night. 838 packed into a the room - the biggest turnout the GOP here has ever had. I think it may have been because we filled the town with Ron Paul signs and even the Wall Street Journal commented on our billboards around the square- we had 2 pickup trucks and one restaurant with 4' x8' Ron Paul billboards.

I'll make some more comments later about what we could learn from this, but I will share a few brief thoughts now.

I believe the campaign needs more innovative approaches over the traditional phone calling, TV ads and direct mail formula. These include cultivating a more interactive relationship with the grassroots to get the younger voters involved.

Buying lots of newspaper ads at very short notice in all the local papers whenever something of importance comes up eg:
• Ron is on PBS tonite,
• Ron is in Iowa City Tailgate party tommorrow, (very few knew of that last minute event but a big newspaper ad would have worked)
• Ron won 16 out the last 21 Republican Straw Polls. (I was shocked to learn this 5 days before the caucus - why wasn't the campaign shouting this out in ad buys?)
• Ron's New Hope Video just made 1,000,000 views and features Fairfield's Town Square.

These strong messages were NOT conveyed to the public well at all.

E-mail. I thought the campaign's press releases by e-mail were way too dry and understated - maybe OK for the Wall Street Journal but lousy to inspire grassroots. They needed to be livelier, fun, have YouTube links - give a summary of news stories at least every 3 days. That's what we did!

I was pretty frustrated that win after win in Straw Polls was not being touted by the campaign.

Few people in Jefferson County read the Des Moines Register so ad buys there don't reach the rural folk hardly at all. The small local papers have very little political advertising and would love to have the business. And it is CHEAP. We had an ad in the weekly paper 8 column inches for $55 a week for 13 weeks straight. And change the ad every week. We ran larger ads in the daily paper as well. Some are at: http://ronpaul.meetup.com/267/files/

We did a newspaper insert printed 2 sides letter size paper - RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP way to reach 2500 people - so much cheaper than direct mail. Those mail items the campaign sends must have cost a fortune, by comparison an insert cost us $150 to reach 2500 plus $120 for photocopying or under 11 cents per household. These local orientated messages I think are way more effective than direct mail.

There was a lot of controversy too about the campaign focus on the right wing Christian conservative voters. We had 2 young people speak for Ron Paul at the caucus and we heard one person came up and say she switched to Ron Paul after hearing them speak and I am sure others did. Their message was about freedom, the war (one was a in the Army Reserve) and the Constitution.

I'll continue this later, but that's a few observations for now.

[pacelli]

It was a very long night. 838 packed into a the room - the biggest turnout the GOP here has ever had. I think it may have been because we filled the town with Ron Paul signs and even the Wall Street Journal commented on our billboards around the square- we had 2 pickup trucks and one restaurant with 4' x8' Ron Paul billboards.

I'll make some more comments later about what we could learn from this, but I will share a few brief thoughts now.

I believe the campaign needs more innovative approaches over the traditional phone calling, TV ads and direct mail formula. These include cultivating a more interactive relationship with the grassroots to get the younger voters involved.

Buying lots of newspaper ads at very short notice in all the local papers whenever something of importance comes up eg:
• Ron is on PBS tonite,
• Ron is in Iowa City Tailgate party tommorrow, (very few knew of that last minute event but a big newspaper ad would have worked)
• Ron won 16 out the last 21 Republican Straw Polls. (I was shocked to learn this 5 days before the caucus - why wasn't the campaign shouting this out in ad buys?)
• Ron's New Hope Video just made 1,000,000 views and features Fairfield's Town Square.

These strong messages were NOT conveyed to the public well at all.

E-mail. I thought the campaign's press releases by e-mail were way too dry and understated - maybe OK for the Wall Street Journal but lousy to inspire grassroots. They needed to be livelier, fun, have YouTube links - give a summary of news stories at least every 3 days. That's what we did!

I was pretty frustrated that win after win in Straw Polls was not being touted by the campaign.

Few people in Jefferson County read the Des Moines Register so ad buys there don't reach the rural folk hardly at all. The small local papers have very little political advertising and would love to have the business. And it is CHEAP. We had an ad in the weekly paper 16 column inches for $55 a week for 13 weeks straight. And change the ad every week. We ran larger ads in the daily paper as well. Some are at: http://ronpaul.meetup.com/267/files/

We did a newspaper insert printed 2 sides letter size paper - RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP way to reach 2500 people - so much cheaper than direct mail. Those mail items the campaign sends must have cost a fortune, by comparison an insert cost us $150 to reach 2500 plus $120 for photocopying or under 11 cents per household. These local orientated messages I think are way more effective than direct mail.

There was a lot of controversy too about the campaign focus on the right wing Christian conservative voters. We had 2 young people speak for Ron Paul at the caucus and we heard one person came up and say she switched to Ron Paul after hearing them speak and I am sure others did. Their message was about freedom, the war (one was a in the Army Reserve) and the Constitution.

I'll continue this later, but that's a few observations for now.

Those are some excellent, concrete solutions. Have you had a chance to send them directly to the campaign, along with your county stats?

[BrianH]

We have nine 4' x 8' foam billboards in pretty good shape and some other signs - are thinking if anyone in states nearby to SE Iowa wants them we could arrange someone to take maybe halfway. I cleared out the office and took down the billboards so am feeling like the day after a big party. 5th place was a disappointment - it would have been nice to be ahead of McCain and Thompson. But it's a start and we look forward to New Hampshire results in 4 days!