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Boos as Ron Paul wins CPAC straw poll
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 33 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. As the results were displayed on twin large screens in the ballroom -- and even before Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio could announce who won -- a cascade of boos came down from a crowd that views Paul and his fervent supporters as an irritant. Paul's backers responded with cheers, though, when their candidate was then proclaimed by Fabrizio as the winner. CPAC organizers were plainly embarrassed by the results, which could reduce the perceived impact of a contest that was once thought to offer a window into which White House hopefuls were favored by movement conservatives. Posted by: Fred 2010-02-21 |
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