 The Florida party used a 1 percent or better showing in polls from
three of six polling firms as their criterion for inclusion in the
event, even though none of the selected polling firms included
Keyes, the latest entry in the presidential race, in any of their
statewide surveys to date.However, had Keyes been included in
these polls, objective observers -- including staff of some of the
polling firms in question -- agreed, based on past electoral
performance in Florida, and on current polling that is taking place
in other states, that he would have received a percentage meeting or
exceeding the threshold.
In 2000, in the last contested GOP presidential primary, 32,354
-- or nearly 5 percent -- of Florida Republicans, and about 1
million voters nationwide, cast their vote for Keyes. He was
included in the Values Voter Debate in Fort Lauderdale last month,
after only three days in the race. In the post-debate straw poll,
Keyes surpassed all the other candidates in the GOP field except
Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.
The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll, the most-recognized media
measure in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, was released during
the time period in question, showing Keyes at 2 percent after only
two weeks in the race, equaling or surpassing several longtime GOP
candidates, all of whom received invitations to the Orlando debate.
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When asked on the Adam McMannus radio program Wednesday about his
exclusion from Sunday's debate, Keyes said, "Rather than thinking
about what they should be doing to make sure that voters are
informed and able to get a clear idea of the choices available to
them, [some party officials] are doing their best, I think, to make
sure that articulation of the kind of conservatism that corresponds
to what is on the heart and mind of most grass-roots Republicans is
not there."
In later comments, Keyes asked, "Why such an effort to assure
that the so-called top-tier candidates don't have to face me? Do
they fear me because they're not good enough for the job that needs
to be done, or because they don't represent the conscience and heart
of the Republican Party or of the American people?"
To register your opinion concerning Keyes' exclusion from this
debate, call the Florida Republican Party and Chairman Jim Greer at
850-222-7920, send a fax to 850-681-2063, or e-mail the party using
the form at www.rpof.org.
You can learn more about Alan Keyes at
www.alankeyes.com.
[Text received from the
Alan Keyes campaign] |
