From TPM:

In a few weeks, the first major contest of the 2012 Iowa caucus kicks off in Ames. The famous Ames Straw Poll is a mixture of Republican politicking, theater and raw, unadulterated capitalism.

Herman Cain doesn’t want the state GOP to ruin the fun. “By putting people on the ballot who didn’t pay, [the state party] has the potential to weaken Iowa’s status as the first in the nation caucus,” Cain spokesperson Ellen Carmichael told TPM.

Here’s what all the fuss is about: Cain, along with many other candidates, have paid big money for a prime slot at the Ames Straw Poll and are planning to pony up a lot more to pay their supporters to vote during the Republican party event. Tickets are $30 each and campaigns typically buy thousands to assure a good turnout at the event. That’s after they drop $10,000 or more for space at the event.

It’s all part of the fun at Ames — but it’s also leading to some resentment at Team Cain. News recently broke that the Iowa GOP may expand the Ames ballot to include candidates who didn’t pay for the privileged to participate. Mitt Romney decided not to pay for a slot at the straw poll (part of his larger strategy to essentially skip Iowa in favor of making his move in New Hampshire) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who basically everyone expects to run at this point, is not yet a declared candidate so he didn’t buy space either. But that doesn’t mean both men won’t appear on the straw poll ballot along with all the candidates who did pay up.