Kevin Binversie has some inside info on the Wisconsin connections in the
expectations game in the Ames Iowa straw poll.
For the 2006 cycle, Rick Wiley was Executive Director of RPW. Jill Latham was his right-hand gal as the State Party's Political Director.
Now Wiley's "National Deputy Political Director" for Giuliani; Latham is Romney's Iowa Political Director; meaning she's one of the Four-Star Generals who have to run the Romney operation to ensure victory in the Ames Straw Poll.
Meaning in short: It's her ass on the line tomorrow.
Giuliani is sitting out the straw poll, but it doesn't prevent his campaign from trying to influence perceptions.
Johnathan Martin reports:
Rudy Giuliani's camp is circulating a data-heavy memo seeking to heighten expectations for Romney at Ames on Saturday.
"Assuming Governor Romney’s Iowa operation is as good as it is said to be and based on expected turnout, internal data, and polling trends, it is likely that Gov. Romney will have at least 24,000 supporters at the Ames Straw Poll," they write, adding that Romney ought to win by an 8-1 margin over their nearest opponent.
A Romney adviser scoffs at the gambit, calling it "hysterical."
"This is the funniest thing I've ever seen," observes the Romney source, pointing out that 24,000 votes would be "nearly four times more voters than" then-Gov. Bush won at Ames in 1999.
Bush got 7,418 votes.
