Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio is the latest candidate to say he will not compete in the Iowa straw poll.

(John Locher/Associated Press)

Today's Marco Rubio news: Call it a vanity. But when your caucuses are courted so heavily, it's easy to be vain. So Iowa Republicans care deeply about another event -- their Aug. 8 straw poll, a beauty contest that awards bragging rights and draws thousands of potential voters to its festive atmosphere, even though no delegates are actually awarded. Contestants still must come back and try to win the Iowa caucuses (where delegates are won) in early 2016.

Marco Rubio is the latest Republican presidential candidate who says he will skip the straw poll. "We are running a lean campaign, so we will only spend money on contests that award delegates," campaign spokesman Alex Conant said: Politico.

His decision follows that of Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and probably others who have not committed to attending. Their attitude: Why waste time and money that could be better spent elsewhere? Not that it directly interferes, but the first GOP presidential debate will be two days earlier in Cleveland, and candidates will spend time prepping in the preceding days. The last two Republican presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and John McCain, skipped the Iowa straw poll, too.

Even Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who is riding high in the latest Iowa horse-race survey (conducted for Bloomberg Politics and the Des Moines Register), might not bother with the straw poll. And a Walker no-show could kill the straw poll, according to the Washington Times and others. Walker isn't an actual candidate yet, so he hasn't said yes or no, but the media have speculated on it.

This is not what the Iowa Republican Party wants to hear. The Iowa GOP is pushing back, with some members warning of backlash to candidates who think their time is better spent elsewhere. There's debate about whether it's an empty or foolish threat, but "the Iowa Republican Party, desperate to keep its quadrennial cash cow alive, is warning 2016 presidential nomination candidates that they skip the party's Aug. 8 straw poll at their own peril": Washington Times.