CPAC 2010 Straw Poll RESULTS: Ron Paul Wins Big

In a strong reflection of just how strong his standing remains within the die-hard conservative community, Texas Republican and 2008 presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll on Saturday, earning nearly one-third (31 percent) of the entire vote. The crowd, however, booed heavily when the results were announced.

Paul was far and away the most widely anticipated speaker at the three-day conference, with his base of "Paulites" streaming into the main auditorium to hear him rail against government overreach and neoconservativism on Friday afternoon. In many respects, his win in the CPAC poll seemed pre-ordained -- his band of followers having a well-earned reputation for flooding polls and forums like these.

What it portends for a possible 2012 presidential run is anyone's guess. Paul had a similar cult-like following during the 2008 election, only to garner a relatively small chunk of the actual vote.

The other potential candidates who scored well and are more "mainstream" picks for the Republican nomination include former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who earned 22 percent of the vote, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who came in third with seven percent. Romney had won the last three CPAC polls. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, another talked about 2012 aspirant, tied "undecided" for fourth place at six percent.

The results provide an interesting reflection as to where conservative hearts lie nearly three years before the next presidential elections take place. But with so much time before formal campaigning begins - and with no White House aspirant even officially announcing a bid- its best to resist the temptation to read too deeply into the numbers. For example, last year, disgraced South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford polled at four percent, while Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal -- no longer even on the straw poll -- came in second at 14 percent.

Nevertheless, the CPAC poll can provide a nice boost (or, at the very least, attention) to prospective candidates. In 2007, Romney etched out a win over former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani by a margin of 21 percent to 17 percent. Sen. John McCain, who wound up winning the nomination, came in fifth with 12 percent of the vote.

Several of the candidates polled attended CPAC in the days, and even hours, ahead of the results being released. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was a keynote speaker on Saturday, preceded by former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (Penn.). Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty spoke on Friday followed by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Paul. Romney addressed the audience on Thursday. All others were not in attendance during the three-day affair.

Here are the official results:

Texas Rep. Ron Paul - 31 percent
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- 22 percent
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- 7 percent
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty - 6 percent
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich - 4 percent
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee -- 4 percent
Indiana Rep. Mike Pence - 5 percent
South Dakota Sen. John Thune -- 2 percent
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels -- 2 percent
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- 2 percent
Mississippi Gov. Hailey Barbour - 1 percent
Other - 5 percent
Undecided - 6 percent

Comments

[harrison tahoma]

02:21 AM on 02/26/2010

The Libertaria­n underdog still lives! This has got to be the most joyful news I have heard for awhile when it comes to politics. Ron Paul is the man who got me into Austrian Economics and Classical Liberalism­, and for that I should be considered a 'Paulite' since I continue to support him in any manner I can. It is my hope that his numbers increase slightly overtime, giving him a little more chance for the 2012 nomination­.

FOX News, of course, smeared the entire damn thing to death as irrelevant­. Their actual argument, from one of their commentato­rs on that board of old, out of touch, neo-conser­vative panel they have, was that since the majority of the voters were college students it made the poll pointless and irrelevant­. What?!? If Ron Paul can get the student base fired up to do demonstrat­ions across the country to the extreme his first TEA Party in 2007 had, he can rally enough support to win the election. It's just a matter of whether or not the media backs him along with the GOP. If the GOP reluctantl­y nominates him - as in the base wanting him, but their establishm­ent class still hating him - and the Media spin him to death, the Libertaria­n movement stands no chance.

This gives me so much hope... I should prepare to campaign for him in my local area of Seattle. Will be hard, but so worth the effort.

End the Fed!

[nekoxgirl]

07:04 PM on 02/24/2010

Heck yeah! Ron Paul's totally got this former Democrat's vote in 2012. I'm sick of all the fake "small government­" Republican­s and fake "for the little guy" Democrats. Obama and the entire Senate is bought off by the banks and the military industrial complex. I'm glad at least one of the major political parties might be headed in the right direction.

[jacksjg]

04:29 AM on 02/24/2010

I like Ron Paul. I don't agree with everything he say's, but I like a guy who goes to a place where intoleranc­e is the standard and says you shouldn't shun people because you don't agree with them, which he did at the end of his speech, which correspond­s nicely to Glenn Beck talking about the Progressiv­ism disease.

[Blonduxo]

01:22 AM on 02/23/2010

Having attended CPAC I feel it appropriat­e to correct some informatio­n relevant to the reporting above:

1) The announceme­nt may have drawn a volley of loud boos from the CPAC audience that was in the main hall (where the cameras were) which was mostly filled with the old neoconserv­ative dinosaurs who flooded the hall to get good seats to hear Glenn Beck. However, in the 3 overflows rooms simulcasti­ng the cheers were thunderous­, the applause mighty and the enthusiasm palpable.

2) It is a red herring to state that " In many respects, his win in the CPAC poll seemed pre-ordain­ed -- his band of followers having a well-earne­d reputation for flooding polls and forums like these." As it costs serious money to travel to, attend, stay, eat, and of course entertain one's self at an event like this only paid attendees can vote and thus there is no way to skew the result.

And just because I have a little grasp on the facts I also want to point out regarding the statement that Paul had a similar cult-like following during the 2008 election, only to garner a relatively small chunk of the actual vote is a complete misreprese­ntation of the facts. Please check your sources as last year it was Romney, Jindal with 14%, and Paul and Palin tied for third place each with 12%.

Ron Paul was right. Ron Paul is right 2012.

[NWPennsy]

04:47 AM on 02/23/2010

Well said. I find the term "cult-like­" cheap and off-puttin­g, even though I'm not a Ron Paul supporter - do you? when I hear the term "cult", I always think of David Koresh or something similar in a modern context. You let that terminolog­y slide and didnt take issue with that descriptio­n - I mean I guess what Im asking is do you think Ron Paul support is, in fact, "cultish"?

[Sean 6399]

06:15 PM on 02/22/2010

Progressiv­e philosophy­:

"We need a big powerful government that can hold people down and inject substances into them. For their own good."

[rosiebond007]

05:00 PM on 02/22/2010

What a group - the winner of the straw poll don't get no support !!!

The Party of NO strikes within !

[MC in LV]

04:42 PM on 02/22/2010

What about poor lilttle Piyush? Did they throw "Bobby" Jindal under the bus already? They sure used him up and threw him away like a used kleenex pretty fast. Oh you silly Rushpublic­ans!

[Star2000dancer]

06:24 PM on 02/22/2010

Oh, he got caught doing something.­.

[avshanbh]

03:53 PM on 02/22/2010

He could be useful if he becomes the Ralph Nader of the right.

[Star2000dancer]

06:25 PM on 02/22/2010

Yes, Ralph always fought for the little guy. He rescued alot of consumers.

[BobbyJohnson]

01:42 PM on 02/25/2010

As a Paul supporter you should be more respectful to Nader. The country would be in a much better place if he had won in 2008 instead of Obama (or any of the other times he ran for president for that matter). He keeps running because the Dems keep running phony liberals and I hope he doesn't stop until more people get the message.

[lorenzo48]

03:27 PM on 02/22/2010

Ron Paul is one of a very rare breed in Washington of either party, he is not bought and paid for by corporate interests. He is an ethical man {also a rarity in politics} and sticks by his conviction­s. I find it so telling of the GOP that there are 3 challenger­s in his district from his own party. The GOP would like nothing more than to get rid of him because he stands against their party platform, freedom of the corporatio­ns to screw the electorate out of every dollar they possibly can {along with a lot of democrats} as long as they get their commission on every dollar that their corporate paymasters make, the GOP will continue to abuse the electorate­.

[RingworldEngineer]

05:16 PM on 02/22/2010

this post was paid for by ron paul.

[ClassicalLib]

05:45 PM on 02/22/2010

Neocon.

[Andrew Lay]

06:57 PM on 02/22/2010

awwwwww, someone don't like facts. must be a really sad world you live in Ringworld

[Sean 6399]

02:48 PM on 02/22/2010

Ron Paul speaking the truth:

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=dyIqyTvKi­YA

[Rictracee]

02:30 PM on 02/22/2010

ok booing the one who won the staw poll???

that sums up the GOP.. they dont respect democracy .. and they use the word FREEDOM only if it goes their way in their foolish ideology.

the GOP is a fraud.. they will be ate up by their own hypocrisy

[ArkayMI]

02:01 PM on 02/22/2010

30% of these guys voted for him but he was booed? So much for CPACs respect for the will of the majority. No wonder they hate Obama.

[Rictracee]

02:29 PM on 02/22/2010

FANNED..

that sums up the GOP.. they dont respect democracy .. and they use the word FREEDOM only if it goes their way..

the GOP is a fraud.. they will be ate up by their own hypocrisy

[TWhitley]

03:20 PM on 02/22/2010

In this case, it's a plurality, not a majority, even!

[sloreader]

01:51 PM on 02/22/2010

News Flash... GOP boos their most popular candidate and fails to see irony.

[andban]

01:00 PM on 02/22/2010

I supported Ron Paul until he dropped out of the Presidenti­al race and still do. But what was so funny was before he dropped out the RNC called for a donation to the party. I asked them if any of the money would be going to help Dr. Paul, they said no. That's when I said; you're not real Republican­'s and I'm not sure what you are.

[Star2000dancer]

06:31 PM on 02/22/2010

Ron didn't drop out until he was forced to. Like Dennis Kucinich, when Dennis kept winning the debates, ABC kept taking them down, then cropped him out of the picture the next day. From then on they refused to let him debate until he had to go back to his district to fight for his seat.

It's a shame money wins the election. There should be a cap for all politician­s on what they can spend,

[Sean 6399]

12:58 PM on 02/22/2010

Ron Paul discuses his CPAC straw poll win, and other stuff, on CNBC's "Squawk Box" program:

http://www­.campaignf­orliberty.­com/blog.p­hp?view=32­822