They organize their teams and practice. Candidates are leaders in their community, state or the nation. They also organize their teams before the elections to prepare for the campaign. During the regular season, baseball teams play each other many times. They take road trips to other cities and play at home.
Candidates running for president in each of the parties also take road trips.
They visit many different cities where they attend rallies, give speeches and meet voters. Road trips help candidates take their message to Americans. Like baseball players, candidates compete. The Ames straw poll was not an election, but it did show the strength and organization of the Republican 2000 candidates. Governor Bush won the Ames straw poll in Iowa in August 1999.