Giuliani, McCain to Skip Iowa Straw Poll

In an announcement made on Wednesday, presidential hopeful Senator John McCain declared he will skip the August 11th Iowa straw poll after it was reported former Mayor Rudy Giuliani would skip the poll.In the past the straw poll has been a strong indicator of who the Party's nominee would be and all candidates worked to win the poll. However, with 2 of the leading candidates not participating, the influence of the straw poll is diminished.Why are McCain and Giuliani opting to skip the poll? How will the straw poll affect the caucus/primary process in 2008?
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Iowa August Straw Poll

The Executive Director of the Iowa GOP expects a crowd of 50,000 to attend the August 11, 2007 straw poll at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
The event will be the first true field test for the GOP candidates. All of the candidates except for Mayor Giuliani, have confirmed they will attend. Though Giuliani is presently undecided, it is expected he will participate.
With so much on the line in this first test, what will candidates do to better their standings between now and August?

New USA Today/Gallup Poll Showcases Giuliani's Solid Lead

In a survey conducted over the weekend, a new USA Today/Gallup poll shows Giuliani leading McCain 34%-20%. Fred Thompson, who is not (at least yet) a candidate, finished third with 13%.
This poll is only one in a series that Giuliani has held a consistent and strong lead. With Election Day still 18 months away, it is still too soon to tell what, if anything, these polls actually mean.

Click here to see the poll on USA Today's website.