Iowa Straw Poll Moving to Boone in 2015

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Republican straw poll, which has long been held in the college town of Ames, is moving.

State GOP officials announced Thursday that the event would be held in Boone at the Central Iowa Expo on Aug. 8. They said earlier this year they would take bids to host the political gathering, in an effort to better manage costs.

Four locations submitted bids and the committee that governs the party voted unanimously to go to Boone, located about 45 minutes outside Des Moines.

First held in 1979, the Iowa straw poll has grown from a county GOP fundraiser to a large event. It is considered an early test of campaign organization.

The party voted to continue the poll this year, after critics called for it to be eliminated.