The Note's Sneak Peek

June 6, 2007— -- "Maybe the handwriting was on the wall," Iowa Republican Party Chairman Ray Hoffman tells ABC News when asked about the impact Mitt Romney's organizational strength had on the Wednesday announcements from the Giuliani and McCain campaigns that they will not invest resources in the Iowa Republican Party's Aug. 11 Straw Poll in Ames.

"Mitt Romney, no doubt, is probably the biggest player in the state," said Hoffman. "He did a lot of advertising."

Hoffman was a "little surprised" about Giuliani's noontime decision and "very surprised" about the McCain decision which came less than five hours later.

Chuck Laudner, the Iowa Republican Party's executive director, said of Romney, "I think McCain was the one guy who was going to keep pace with him."

Laudner, who says the Iowa GOP did not receive a heads up from either Giuliani or McCain, says don't believe the Giuliani and McCain camps when they claim that they are serious about winning the state's caucuses in January.

"You can't compete in the caucuses without competing in the Straw Poll," said Laudner of the contest which raises money for the state party. "It's a big part of what makes the Republican Party of Iowa tick."

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On Thursday, Giuliani campaign manager Mike DuHaime attends the 8:00 pm ET opening of Giuliani's Hawkeye State campaign headquarters in Clive, Iowa. Thursday's "grand opening" comes one day after DuHaime further cemented Giuliani's plans to pin his White House hopes on Florida's Jan. 29 primary.

As for the candidate himself, Giuliani delivers 11:45 am ET remarks to the Police Officers Association of Michigan in Grand Rapids and 7:15 pm ET remarks to the International Association of Airport and Seaport Police in Washington, D.C.

John McCain heads to Giuliani's backyard Thursday and delivers 7:30 pm ET remarks to an NYPD dinner in Howard Beach, N.Y. Per Newsweek's Richard Wolfe, McCain adviser Mark McKinnon wrote a memo in January indicating, in Wolfe's words, that he is a McCain man "through and through unless Democrats nominate Obama --