Name:
Romney Wins Straw Poll at CPAC
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has narrowly won the presidential straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the nation’s oldest and largest gathering of conservative activists, students and policymakers. Arizona Senator John McCain finished second by one point, 35 to 34 percent, while former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Congressman Ron Paul tied for third with 12 percent each.
The poll was conducted Thursday and Friday, February 7 and 8 and ballots were cast both before and after Romney announced at the conference he was suspending his campaign. Due to Romney’s announcement, tabulations were made both before and after the Romney announcement. McCain won the portion tabulated following the announcement by five points, not quite enough to overcome Romney’s earlier 17 point lead.
CPAC Chairman David Keene said the increased support for McCain after his speech to CPAC and Romney’s announcement shows it is possible for McCain to unite conservatives behind him, but more needs to be done.
“If McCain is interested in talking to conservatives, so are most conservatives interested in talking to him,” Keene said. “It’s important for any Republican nominee to understand that he must rely on support from the conservative base and without that support, he’s in trouble. Whether McCain will have that vital support remains to be seen but from my perspective a few steps have been taken down that road at the CPAC conference.”
The poll, conducted by Fabrizio McLaughlin Associated, drew 1,585 voters . Only registered CPAC attendees could participate. The full results of the poll are posted at www.CPAC.org
-30-
CPAC is a project of the American Conservative Union Foundation, in association with Young America's Foundation and Human Events. The conference is cosponsored by over 90 of the nation's leading conservative organizations. For continued updates on the program or to register online, visit www.cpac.org.
Advocacy Ink is a full service public relations, communications and political consulting firm in Alexandria, VA
© 2008
