College Republicans' Straw Poll Indicates Herman Cain for 2012 Presidential Run

If the 2012 presidential election were held tomorrow, area Republicans would vote for Atlanta businessman and radio talk show host Herman Cain. According to a straw poll at the Racine County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day Dinner, Cain would be their man. He was the evening's keynote speaker.

"Mr. Cain speaks from the heart," said Kyle Koenen, chair of the College Republicans at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. "But he also has obviously captured the attention others because he came out on the top of the poll we conducted at the Kenosha-area dinner as well."

The Kenosha dinner was held Sat., March 26, but Cain was not the speaker there and did not attend.

Cain captured 22 percent of the vote while former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin came in second with 14 percent and Michele Bachmann came in third with 11 percent of the vote. Koenen said Palin's second-place wasn't a surprise, but Bachmann's finish ahead of stalwarts like Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty was a bit of a shock if only because Bachmann has only recently started talking about a possible run for the White House.

Koenen, from Mount Pleasant, is a senior. Along with another student, he started Parkside's College Republicans because there weren't a lot of outlets on campus for conservatives.

"I've always been a conservative guy," he said. "There weren't a lot of opportunities where conservative voices could be represented."

Forming the group was also a good way for students to get more civically involved, he added.

"During last year's election season, we hosted speakers like State SenatorWanggaard and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch," Koenen said.

The Parkside College Republicans is a relatively new organization, but their membership is steadily growing. A core group of about 10 students regularly participate in special events, but Koenen said the mailing list is much larger.

Right now, Koenen said the College Republicans are collecting personal care items to send to troops serving in Afghanistan. There are boxes scattered around the UW-Parkside campus or donors can contact the group via email at uwpcollegerepublicans@gmail.com for pick up by a member of the organization.