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aren't statistics they are people in pain. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room". we begin this hour with what's happening in iowa. right now the state that holds the lead off presidential contest is gauging early support for the republican candidates. we're standing by for the results of the iowa straw poll. the winner could get an important boost heading in to the 2012 primary season. cnn don lemon is joining us from ames, iowa. don? >> all right. thank you very much for that, wolf. joining me ...

Some of the candidates who really want to win the straw poll buy the ballots for people and then hand them out so the people to whom they hand out the ballots will vote for them. that's how you win the straw poll. you spend money to do it. michele bachmann reportedly purchased 6,000 $30 tickets. her campaign bought the ballots and gave them out to people, a strategy that resulted in her getting 4,823 votes, which was first place. the iowa republican party also sells essentially real estate inside the straw poll. they sell real estate, they sell locations inside the straw poll to the highest-bi...

And then hand them out so the people to whom they hand out the ballots will vote for them. that's how you win the straw poll. you spend money to do it. michele bachmann reportedly purchased 6,000 $30 tickets. her campaign bought the ballots and gave them out to people, a strategy that resulted in her getting 4,823 votes, which was first place. the iowa republican party also sells essentially real estate inside the straw poll. they sell real estate, they sell locations inside the straw poll to the highest-bidding candidate. the highest-bidding candidate was ron paul of texas. his campaign paid ...

That's how the ames straw poll works. it costs money to vote, costs $30 to cast a ballot. some of the candidates who really want to win the ames iowa straw poll buy the ballots for people and then hand them out so the people to whom they hand out the ballots will vote for them. that's how you win the straw poll in ames, iowa. you spend money to do it. michele bachmann who reportedly won purchased 6,000 $30 tickets. her campaign bought the ballots and gave them out to people, a strategy that resulted in her getting 4,823 votes, which was first place. the iowa republican party also sells essenti...