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The winner and new champion of the CPAC straw poll: Texas Rep. Ron Paul. |
He’s not running for president in 2012 — yet. But Texas Rep. Ron Paul has a lot more support among conservative stalwarts than the massive pack of folks who have already dipped their toes in the 2012 presidential waters.
Paul won today’s Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll with the backing of 30 percent of participants.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — a past straw poll winner — finished at 23 percent. No other candidate reached double digits. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who did not attend the conference that does not pay its speakers, attracted support from a mere 3 percent of CPAC goers. New York real estate zillionaire Donald Trump, who is toying with a 2012 presidential run, attracted less than 1 percent support.
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Rep. Ron Paul addresses the CPAC conference Friday. |
The poll results were met with a distinctly mixed response in ballroom of Washington’s Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Paul’s self-declared conservative revolutionaries erupted in raucous applause while others responded with a cascade of boos.
Though he received only modest media attention before the straw poll results were announced, Paul inspired a large group of fans to register for (and attend) the conference. About 10,000 conservatives attended the conference and 3,742 of them voted in the straw poll — the largest participation in the 37-year history of the conference.
The Houston-area congressman was a polarizing figure at the conference. New York reality TV star Trump was booed when he told the attendees that Paul had no chance of winning the presidency. And pockets of the auditorium were silent during Paul’s speech yesterday when the libertarian lawmaker bashed U.S. military interventionist, the American role in the Middle East, the Federal Reserve and the very concept of bipartisanship.
Despite the division, Paul was the run-away winner of the straw poll. Here are the also-rans:
— Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, 6 percent
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 6 percent
— Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 5 percent
— Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, 4 percent
— Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, 4 percent
— Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, 4 percent
— Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, 3 percent
— Former Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain, 2 percent
— South Dakota Sen. John Thune, 2 percent
— Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, 2 percent
— Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 2 percent
— Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, 1 percent
— Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, 1 percent
— Others (including Texas Gov. Rick Perry), 5 percent
— Undecided, 1 percent
Paul has left the door open to a presidential race. He says he’ll decide whether to seek re-election to Congress, run for president or seek the Texas Senate seat currently held by retiring Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison based on factors including his ability to raise money for each race.
>>> Video: Ron Paul backers explain why they love him
>>> More coverage of Ron Paul from our cousin blog Texas on the Potomac
>>> On the jump: More photos of Ron Paul at CPAC
2011 CPAC Straw Poll Final Results
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Rep. Ron Paul addresses the CPAC conference Friday. |
AP photo
Rep. Ron Paul addresses the CPAC conference Friday. |