Brownback wins St. Louis County Republican Straw Poll

John Combest reports that Kansas Senator Sam Brownback has won the support of the County Republicans present at their Lincoln Day dinner on Saturday.

Combest said the outcome may surprise Governor Matt Blunt who has shown steady support for one of Brownback's rivals, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who came in third in the straw poll behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Missouri may not be as "locked down" as Blunt's team would like.

Brownback's surprise victory may have something to do with his presence at the event as speaker.

Brownback has run behind the main pack of McCain, Giuliani, Romney, in the Republican field. He came in fourth in a recent South Carolina straw poll. It was only the first in South Carolina, but the campaigns turned up the heat to gain any lead in the important southern state.

Brownback's main source of support comes from his position as the strong social conservative, something other candidates would like to usurp. In early Februrary the Romney campaign circulated a a two-fer email among leading right-to-life figures that attacked Brownback and defended Romney by saying Brownback picked up the pro-life mantle only after being elected.

Dr. Jack Willkie, a member of Brownback's campaign committee who was president of National Right to Life for ten years, responded saying the Senator has always been pro-life.

Despite the lack of a spotlight, National Journal commented that other campaigns should keep their eyes on Brownback not just for his conservatism, but his potential to appeal to more than the base. NJ said his announcement speech contained passages that one could expect from a Democrat,hitting on areas like health care, cancer research and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.