Is the Ames Straw Poll Really a Presidential Predictor? -- PICTURES

By Carrie Mihalcik

Updated: August 15, 2011 | 10:12 a.m.
August 11, 2011 | 9:18 a.m.

OTTUMWA, IA - DECEMBER 28: Republican presidential hopeful and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee speaks at a "Meet Mike Huckabee" event at the Bridge View Center December 28, 2007 in Ottumwa, Iowa. With less than a week to go before the Iowa caucus, Mike Huckabee has returned to Iowa to continue campaigning. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES)

Republican presidential candidates are stepping up their campaigning in Iowa ahead of one of the first big tests of the 2012 election cycle – the Ames Straw Poll. The event, a run-up to the Iowa Republican caucus, has been something of a bellwether in past years.

How accurate is the Ames Straw Poll? Take a look at some of the past winners of the Straw Poll, the Iowa caucus, and the Republican nomination to see how often one candidate won all three.

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