August is the month when GOP candidates who have struggled to gain traction often begin to drop out. The Iowa Straw Poll has frequently been the trigger causing candidates to reconsider.

In 2000 former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander dropped out after a poor showing; former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson ended his bid after finishing in sixth place in 2008; and in 2012 former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty did the same.

There’s no Iowa Straw Poll this cycle, but it seems likely that one …