Congressman Ralph Abraham grabbed 180 votes and Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone grabbed 94 votes at Saturday’s Southwest Louisiana Republican’s “Iowa Governor’s race straw poll”.
UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Abraham has to be feeling good about the results, and it appears the Congressman is solidifying his frontrunner status.
Cross says, "Having that 2 to 1 over prominent republicans lead is ensuring him that his message is reaching who he wants."
The 25 dollar a head event was hosted by the Calcasieu Republican Party Executive Committee and the Republican Women of Southwest Louisiana.
It’s a small sample size, but Cross says the almost two-to-one margin in favor of Abraham amongst some of the most engaged Republicans in the state is a red flag to the Rispone campaign.
Rispone is reporting a war chest of over 10 million dollars, but it’s thought that a significant portion of that is the millionaire candidate’s own cash.
The gubernatorial primary is set for October 12th. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be set for November 16th.