Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas Republican who ran a quixotic bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, was the top vote-getter in the Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll, capturing the support of 31 percent of those who participated in the contest.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who had won the CPAC straw poll for three consecutive years, took 22 percent of the vote. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin won 7 percent and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty 6 percent. Pawlenty attended the conference; Palin did not.
Paul’s victory renders a straw poll that was already lightly contested among the likely 2012 GOP hopefuls all but irrelevant as the 74-year-old Texan is unlikely to be a serious contender for his party’s nomination.
Whether Paul will be running in the 2012 presidential election isn't known but as with 2008, although his supporters are enthusiastic and can be counted on to show up whereever Paul speaks, the majority of Americans just do not connect with Paul himself.
Via Fox:
The straw poll is not binding -- and not necessarily a good forecaster, given that in 2008, John McCain went on to take the party's nomination over Romney.
CPAC related:
The quote of the day goes to Newt Gingrich:
"Barack Obama has created at least three jobs that I know of: Bob McDonnell, Chris Christie and Scott Brown," former House speaker Newt Gingrich told a fawning crowd Saturday, celebrating recent GOP victories in governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, and the Senate in Massachusetts, respectively."
That right there is funny.
.