Romney wins CPAC Straw Poll

Reid Wilson has the story:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) won the straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, the third consecutive year Romney has taken the prize.

Romney won 20 percent of the vote of those asked who should carry the Republican mantle in 2012, following a Friday speech which met with high praise from the estimated 9,000 attendees.

Four other potential candidates scored double-digit support from attendees. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) won 14 percent of the vote, followed by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) at 13 percent each. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who also gave a well-received speech on Friday, won 10 percent.

On Tuesday, Jindal gave the Republican response to President Obama’s speech, a response that was widely panned even by conservatives. Neither Jindal nor Palin attended the weekend’s gathering in Washington.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) came in with 4 percent, followed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 3 percent and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), who spoke Saturday after balloting was closed, won 2 percent.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), who publicly supported President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, finished last with 1 percent. Crist, who did not attend the conference, was booed by attendees, and pollster Tony Fabrizio, in announcing the results, called him “Barack Obama’s favorite Republican.”

The annual gathering, heavy on student activists who flock to Washington every year to see their favorite conservative icons, wraps up Saturday night with an address from Rush Limbaugh, the popular radio host who will receive an award for defending free speech.

Organizers have said this year’s event has been better attended than previous years, and the 1,757 ballots cast were more than had been cast in any previous year. Every state except Vermont and Hawaii were represented.

CPAC has always attracted top conservative icons — organizers never fail to mention Ronald Reagan, who showed up for years on end even before he was elected president. This year, potential presidential contenders were joined by rising conservative stars like Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Tom Price (R-Ga.).

Top right-leaning talkers like Limbaugh, who entered to a rock star’s welcome, and Ann Coulter, whose book signing attracted a crowd that snaked around several corners in the exhibition hall, dominated Saturday’s talkers.

Just 4 percent of CPAC attendees said they approved of President Obama’s job performance, while 95 percent said they disapproved. “Who said we didn’t give him a chance?” joked Fabrizio, whose firm tabulated the results.

Here is a breakdown of the results, from RedState:

Mitt Romney