Good news from an Iowa poll

Strategic Vision conducted a three day poll that is certainly worth noting.

Below are the results of a three-day poll in the state of Iowa. Results are based on telephone interviews with 600 likely Republican cacus goers and 600 likely Democratic cacus goers, aged 18+, and conducted January 19-21, 2007. The margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

1. If the 2008 Republican presidential caucus were held today between, Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Chuck Hagel, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, George Pataki, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, and Tommy Thompson for whom would you vote? (Republicans Only; Names Rotated)
Rudy Giuliani 25%
John McCain 21%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Mitt Romney 8%
Chuck Hagel 7%
Tommy Thompson 2%
Tom Tancredo 2%
Sam Brownback 2%
Mike Huckabee 1%
George Pataki 1%
Jim Gilmore 1%
Duncan Hunter 1%
Undecided 16%

Chuck Hagel has been moving up in the polls in Iowa in the last month or two. That is good news for draft Hagel movement. A strong 5th place finish (and with no organization on the ground), just 1% behind Romney, and with a large gap ahead of the 6th place person is excellent at this stage.

Poll in four early primary states

The American Research Group has conducted polls in four early primary states on the 2008 Presidential primary race. It is encouraging to see Chuck Hagel polling so well in Iowa, clearly ahead of the third tier candidates. The results are as follows (copied from The Next Prez):

Republicans	IA	NH	SC	NV
McCain	26	29	35	25
Giuliani	28	25	28	31
Gingrich	18	14	15	22
Romney	6	9	5	4
Hagel	6	2	-	-
Huckabee	1	1	1	-
Pataki	-	2	-	-
Brownback	1	-	-	-
Gilmore	-	1	-	-
Hunter	-	-	-	-
Thompson	-	-	-	-
Undecided	14	17	16	18

"Hagel visits to test presidential waters"

There's an article in the Omaha World-Herald that sheds some light on Senator Hagel's speaking plans in the near future. From the article:

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Hagel, a possible 2008 White House contender, will visit one key campaign state next month and possibly another in January.

The Nebraska Republican is scheduled to visit Ohio as featured speaker at the Cuyahoga County Republicans' holiday party Dec. 15.

Ohio's presidential primary often plays an important early role in deciding party nominees.

Hagel also has tentatively penciled in a late January trip to Iowa - a year ahead of the state's presidential caucuses that kick off the battle for the White House every four years.

He's been invited to speak at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, a frequent stop for candidates.

Hagel spokesman Mike Buttry said that despite the two trips, the senator is no closer to deciding whether he'll enter the presidential race. Several other Republicans and Democrats already are launching their campaigns...

Hagel also is scheduled to introduce U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the featured speaker Dec. 11 at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Mo. It will be Annan's last major speech before retiring as secretary general.

Hagel also will deliver the Dec. 16 commencement address at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Also don't forget the contest, you can still win a button!

"Hagel brings a lot to the party for '06"

There's a good story in the World-Herald titled "Hagel brings a lot to the party for '06" by Jake Thompson about how Senator Hagel has been working hard to raise money for GOP candidates in Nebraska as well as all over the country for the 2006 election. Here are some excerpts from it:

Where the late U.S. Sen. J.J. Exon molded, built and led the Democratic Party in Nebraska for a quarter century, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel now is searing his brand on the state GOP.

Hagel, Nebraska's senior elected Republican, is focused on this fall's elections and has pumped $127,000 into state GOP efforts. That's nearly double his 2004 campaign contributions in Nebraska.

GOP candidates for the Nebraska Legislature have received the bulk of the money. But Hagel also has given to Republican Party committees and Nebraska Republicans running for the U.S. House, Senate and governor.

Hagel said he knew four years ago that 2006 would be a big year. In a sense, he's been gearing up since he was elected to the Senate in 1996.

"One of the legacies I want whenever I leave Nebraska politics is that 'Hagel left the party better than he found it.'"

His interest was sparked in the early 1970s, when he says he watched Nebraska Republican politicians pay too little attention to bringing new blood and fresh ideas to the state party.

...

Over the last decade, Hagel has helped state Republicans raise money and recruit candidates. He worked closely with state GOP chairmen and Republican Govs. Mike Johanns and Dave Heineman.

Through his Senate campaign fund and his political action committee, the Sandhills PAC, Hagel donated $47,250 to Nebraska GOP candidates and party committees for the 2002 elections. That rose to $73,750 in 2004.

He's given $127,000 so far this year. Of that, $53,000 has gone to candidates for Nebraska state offices and $40,000 to Nebraska candidates for the U.S. House and Senate, according to his office and reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

...

Hagel's roll-up-the-sleeves work now could help him by tamping down frustrations some Republicans have voiced over Hagel's criticism of the Bush administration handling of the Iraq war, Hibbing said.

Hagel, a possible 2008 presidential candidate, also has continued his practice of donating to national Republican candidates.

He's donated about $130,000 to GOP candidates across the country via the Sandhills PAC for the 2006 elections.

Other possible presidential candidates have done more. The political committees of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, have donated about $200,000 each to candidates of their parties.

...

Hagel said his first priority is Nebraska. "I'm playing where I think my responsibilities are most significant," he said.

Still, he recently traveled to Michigan to campaign for a Republican candidate. Earlier in the year he donated $5,000, through his PAC, to GOP efforts in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

"I haven't taken my eye off the ball on my own interests for 2008 either," he said.