Say field of presidential hopefuls 'not complete'
AMES (Aug. 6) -- Supporters of Alan Keyes plan to attend the Iowa Straw Poll Aug. 11, to get Keyes' name before the public as a possible Republican presidential candidate.
"We Need Alan Keyes for President," an organization of grassroots volunteers conducting a petition drive to draft Keyes, will hand out literature, donation forms, and sign-up sheets and show video clips of the former Reagan administration diplomat.
Keyes -- who in 2000 drew 14 percent in the Iowa Caucus and averaged 16 percent in his best ten states during the presidential primaries -- says he is open to the possibility of running, if enough support exists at the grassroots for his candidacy.
"I've told my supporters -- who, by the way, are undertaking this effort on their own -- that if they can demonstrate sufficient grassroots support for me to run, I will do so," Keyes commented.
Stephen Stone, head of the draft-Keyes movement, said, "A recent AP poll suggested that the leading candidate among GOP hopefuls is 'none of the above.' One-fourth of respondents rejected all the current hopefuls -- including Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, and John McCain -- none of whom drew more than 21 percent. The poll also indicated that no candidate has a clear lead among Christian evangelicals."
"I predict that as the primaries approach, once the current candidates have been fully scrutinized, the GOP will find itself without a candidate who excites the party's conservative base," Stone said. "That spells a loss for Republicans in the general election."
Stone continued, "Alan Keyes has the ability to inspire the Republican base, because he shares their values and priorities, and has a record of leading out in defense of the most important conservative issues. The more people learn about this remarkable statesman -- not the caricatures or misconceptions created by his opponents, but the real truth -- the more they like him and endorse his deeply-held moral conservatism."
This view was seconded by Steven Voigt, Stone's chief of staff, who added, "Alan believes that the most important issues facing our country are moral issues, even if the issues appear to center in other things like jobs, education, border security, or constitutional interpretation. And Alan makes the case that the biggest moral issues are things like abortion, preserving traditional marriage, and allowing God a place at the center of our public life. These kinds of priorities ring true with moral conservatives."
Keyes, who has a Ph.D. from Harvard in government affairs and did his dissertation on the U.S. Constitution, served as Ronald Reagan's Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, and was also a Reagan-appointed ambassador to the United Nations. He has background in national security, international relations, and counter-terrorism.
Of Keyes' service in his administration, Reagan said, "Alan ... did such an extraordinary job ... defending our country against the forces of anti-Americanism.... I've never known a more stout-hearted defender of a strong America than Alan Keyes."
The "We Need Alan Keyes for President" movement maintains a web site at AlanKeyes.com.
References :
The above quote from Ronald Reagan came from remarks Reagan made Oct. 26, 1988, at a fundraiser for Alan Keyes' first U.S. Senate campaign from Maryland.
The statistics cited regarding the 2000 Republican primaries are based on FEC data posted at http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/2000presprim.htm and on information at TheGreenPapers.com: http://www.thegreenpapers.com/PCC/Tabul.html (The second source offers data on the 2000 Iowa and Minnesota caucuses absent in the FEC's 2000 primary results.)
The following are Keyes' ten best showings in the 2000 primaries:
Alabama 12%
Arkansas 20%
Idaho 19%
Iowa 14%
Minnesota 20%
Montana 18%
New Jersey 16%
Oregon 13%
Utah 21%
Wisconsin 10%
(This press release is available online at http://www.alankeyes.com/articles/070806iowa.php)
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