Mitt wins CPAC Straw Poll, Santorum in second.

[Keystone Phil]

Very strange - http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/11/romney-wins-cpac-straw-poll/

Mitt Romney - 38%
Rick Santorum - 31%
Newt Gingrich - 15%
Ron Paul - 12%

[Eraserhead]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/11/romney-wins-washington-timescpac-straw-poll/

Results:

Romney 38%
Santorum 31%
Gingrich 15%
Paul 12%

This seems odd. Think they fixed the results?

[tpfkaw]

Straw poll was "conducted online for the first time."  After last year, CPAC banned the Campaign for Liberty (pro-Ron Paul PAC formed from his '08 campaign, similar to Organizing for America), as well as GOProud (gay Republicans) and the John Birch Society from being cosponsors anymore.

3408 participants

Presidential choice:

1. Romney: 38
2. Santorum: 32
3. Gingrich: 25
4. Paul: 12

VP choice

1. Marco Rubio
2. Chris Christie
3. Bob McDonnell
4. Paul Ryan

Washington Times telephone poll of "self-identified conservatives"

Pres choice:

1. Romney: 27
2. Santorum: 25
3. Gingrich: 20
4. Paul: 8

VP choice

1. Marco Rubio

Two most volunteered names: Allen West and Rand Paul

[Keystone Phil]

Three topics, guys. Good job.

[Lincoln Republican]

[Eraserhead]

I like how both of Winfield's smiley face posts were merged. lol.

Edit: And now one has been deleted.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/11/romney-wins-washington-timescpac-straw-poll/

Results:

Romney 38%
Santorum 31%
Gingrich 15%
Paul 12%

This seems odd. Think they fixed the results?

I wouldn't count it out.  These guys are total Palin zombies... not really what you'd call Romney's base.

[Lief 🗽]

Clearly CPAC has sold out and gone establishment. Too bad.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Clearly CPAC has sold out and gone establishment. Too bad.

[Lincoln Republican]

Okay, let's hear all the excuses,  explanations, and reasons why Romney won.

Bottom line, this is very good news for Romney following the disastrous week he has just had.  

Results fixed, CPAC gone establishment, blah, blah, blah.

Get real!

[Meeker]

CPAC isn't really known for being a working class or social conservative type of crowd. It's a bunch of rich Beltway types/rich types who can afford to come to D.C. and pay the admission price.

[RI]

CPAC isn't really known for being a working class or social conservative type of crowd. It's a bunch of rich Beltway types/rich types who can afford to come to D.C. and pay the admission price.

Yeah, Santorum actually overachieved compared to most social conservatives at CPAC.

[King]

So when you ban supporters for candidates who aren't Romney, Romney wins? Go figure.

[tpfkaw]

So when you ban supporters for candidates who aren't Romney, Romney wins? Go figure.

Well, not necessarily banned, but cosponsors can offer heavily-discounted tickets to their membership, so the ACU board can essentially get any result they want by choosing who gets to be cosponsors.

I forgot to mention, they also banned a group of Muslim Republicans from being cosponsors anymore, IIRC.

[Mehmentum]

Clearly some foul play going on here.  They say it was conducted online, yet Ron Paul didn't win...

[tmthforu94]

This will provide some good media for Romney to spin. Now we need a win in Maine, and we'll be back on track.

[Torie]

This will provide some good media for Romney to spin. Now we need a win in Maine [MichiganArizona], and we'll be back on track.

Fixed.  This particular squall has some staying power.

[NHI]

After the week Mitt has had I would've expected a Santorum landslide. Romney lost the CPAC poll, and to win this year illustrate his campaign is anything but done. Give it a week, two at the most and Santorum will be yesterday's news.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

It's a good thing these straw polls so accurately predicted Romney's Iowa win in 2008!

[Keystone Phil]

You should hear the idiotic Santorum haters: "If he can't win CPAC - his territory! - then you have to wonder..."

Give it a week, two at the most and Santorum will be yesterday's news.

LOL!

[Lincoln Republican]

Like I said before, let the excuses and rationalizing for Romney's victory begin.

And sure enough, these excuses keep coming, and coming, and coming, and coming.

But keep it up, I enjoy reading your amazing comments.

[useful idiot]

Who are these idiots? The guy makes a ridiculous gaffe (that even Limbaugh made fun of) WHILE MAKING HIS SPEECH THERE, and they still vote for him.

[Keystone Phil]

So true. So very true - http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/02/12/santorum_says_romney_rigged_straw_poll.html


I'm not throwing a fit about Mitt winning. I was more surprised than anything given the general atmosphere of the conference (almost everyone milling around had on a Santorum or Newt sticker. I saw a few people with Paul stickers and two - yes, literally two - people with Romney stickers) and him still finding a way to win. That being said, the idea that Romney's campaign was paying people crossed my mind. As for Rick's, just as an anecdote...

I didn't register for the conference since I was only going down for a day. As I was walking around, a Santorum volunteer asked me if I had voted in the poll. I asked if you had to be a paid registered attendee. He informed me that you had to be, I informed him that I wasn't and he told me that he understood my situation. Never once tried to suggest that the campaign would help me be able to vote.

[Bacon King]

Why is everyone making a big deal out of this result?

Romney with barely over a third of the support.
Santorum + Gingrich > Romney.
And this is only among activists who could afford to pay for a ticket and travel
to DC. Shouldn't Romney have won this straw poll by a lot more than this? 

[Eraserhead]

Santorum says Romney rigged the poll.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/02/12/santorum_says_romney_rigged_straw_poll.html