Hunter Undeterred

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf Reports: He finished 9th in an 11 horse race at yesterday’s Iowa Republican straw poll in Ames, but today San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter was undeterred.

While most other Presidential candidates took Sunday off after the straw poll -or in the case of former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, who got nearly ten times the votes Hunter got at the poll, did some soul searching on whether to continue with their campaign – Hunter was back out in the scorching heat at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines shaking hands and introducing himself to Iowans.

Hunter said he was happy with the result at the straw poll – a test of organizationl strength more than an opinion poll – because he was the only candidate who didn’t pay the $35 fee for each of his supporters to vote.

Hunter also pointed out that this weeks marks the first full week he has spent in Iowa while other candidates have been campaigning here all year.

"This is the beginning of a marathon," said Hunter, the hawkish former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. His campaign is pegged to a pledge to "win" in Iraq, keep nuclear weapons from Iran at all costs, take back manufacturing jobs from "communist China,seal the border with Mexico, and have as strong a national defense as possible.

Hunter’s marathon will be longer than most. This may have been his first full week in Iowa, but Hunter was the first Republican to officially announce his bid for the presidency last year.