Free Republic

It’s now been one month since I last did my prediction of the top five Republican Presidential Candidates, and this time around we saw a little change in rank. The biggest leap forward, was Mike Huckabee, which I previously had him placed third, he is now first. Followed by Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Tim Pawlenty. (Chart at link) Now I’m sure many of you disagree with Romney being third behind Sarah Palin, but I don’t view him as a good candidate. I don’t hate him, and I certainly would vote for him over President Obama, but he...

The results of the CPAC straw poll of presidential candidates are in, and the winner is Ron Paul, with 30% of the vote. Mitt Romney was the runner-up with 23%, and all other candidates tied with about 6% each. 84% of the voters identified themselves as fiscal conservatives, placing their highest priority on economic growth and restraining the growth of government.

On a Hannity “Road to 2012″ focus group special, Frank Luntz asked Iowa Republican voters who they would like to see run for president in 2012. Below is their response when asked about Governor Palin. (VIDEO AT LINK)

I'm not convinced any of the people on this list can beat the President, partially because of previous stumbles and partially because of the math. Still, primaries are all about persuading your fellows to vote for your candidate, unlike the general election which is about holding your nose and voting for the idiot your fellows chose instead. So who's it going to be?

In the first ever "straw poll" of New Hampshire Republican party committee members sponsored by ABC News and WMUR and sanctioned by the state Republican party, ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took 35 percent of the 276 valid ballots cast. This is just 3 percent more than Romney took in the 2008 GOP primary, when he finished in second place behind Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Coming in a distant second was Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, with 11 percent. Paul took 8 percent in the 2008 GOP primary. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is spending the early part of next week in...

The grassroots conservatives of the Tea Party movement may not have the same sway in the larger-turnout 2012 elections that they did in the midterms. But there's no doubting the lasting force of the grassroots takeover of internal Republican Party organizations. Julia Bergeron, the choice of Sununus, just went down in the race for New Hampshire State GOP Chair, a key post in the 2012 nomination fight. The winner by a comfortable margin of state committee votes: Jack Kimball, a Seacoast businessman, Tea Party activist, and failed candidate for governor who has promised to push for a "strong conservative" nominee...

Former Governor Mitt Romney this afternoon handily won a New Hampshire straw poll of the party faithful, demonstrating his strength in the crucial first-in-the-nation primary state. The poll, conducted at the Republican State Committee meeting in Derry, had Romney at 35 percent. Trailing him were Representative Ron Paul (11 percent), former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (8 percent), former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (7 percent), and Representative Michele Bachmann (5 percent).

It's time again to measure the free republic preference for the 2012 Republican Presidential Nominee. Please only vote for one of the candidates listed. Votes for candidates not on the list will not be included in the final tally of votes. Each candidate qualified for this list based on their own statements or political activities that indicate they will likely run. Palin Romney Huckabee Gingrich Pawlenty Bachman Barbour Cain Pence Santorum Giuliani Daniels

RICHMOND, Virgina — Gov. Christie was the surprise winner of a presidential straw poll taken today at the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Convention, according to a report on TimesDispatch.com. With 15 percent of the 1,560 votes, Christie topped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, the report said. A report on Slate added that well-known Republicans Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels, Michele Bachmann, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty also appeared on the ballot.

The American Spectator wants you to know where you think the GOP's 2010 presidential prospects stand. So, for one week each month, we're inviting Spectator readers (and their friends!) to select their presidential preference from a list of would-be contenders. Each month, we'll report the results and compare them to the previous votes. To vote, select your preferred candidate from the list below, enter your email address, match the security code, and click the "Submit Your Vote" button. We'll email you each month when it's time to vote again. 1.Select a Candidate Please choose from the candidates below Haley Barbour...

Sarah Palin has won the Right Nation 2010 straw poll for potential candidates for president in 2012. Palin gathered 19.1 percent at a Chicago-area conference on Sept. 18. Chris Christie came in second with 16.2 percent. Newt Gingrich third with 13.4 percent and Mitt Romney fifth with 11.2 percent. Mike Pence, who won the Values Voter summit, came in 10th with only 2.7 percent. Mike Huckabee, who came in second in the Values Voter Summit, came in sixth with 9.2 percent. The poll will show the preferences of grassroots leaders from throughout the heartland, says the group’s website, with conference...

WASHINGTON---Sarah Palin won the Right Nation 2010 straw poll for 2012 presidential potential candidates a straw poll from the Values Voter Summit, another conservative group taken over the weekend gave first place to Rep. Mike Pence. Right Nation has more that twice the number of people voting--1,693--than the Values Voter gathering with 723 participating in the straw poll. Right Nation 2010 held its national meeting Saturday in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, billing itself as a gathering of conservatives, Republicans and Tea Party independents. Palin did not attend the Right Nation 2010 or Values Voter Summit in Washington. Out...

Indiana Congressman Mike Pence was on fire over the weekend at the Values Voters Summit in Washington. This was a conservative crowd, and they found a candidate to rally behind. They showed their enthusiasm in a very American way: a straw poll that put Pence at the top of their preferred presidential picks -- and that also favors him for the number-two slot. Reports the Washington Times: Indiana Rep. Mike Pence edged ahead of television talk show host and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for first place in the Family Research Council's Values Voters Summit 2012 presidential straw poll...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Conservative voters chose the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, Mike Pence, as their top choice for president for 2012 in a straw poll on Saturday. The nonbinding opinion vote among 723 social conservatives attending what organizers called the "Values Voters Summit" put former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in second place for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, with 22 percent of the vote, compared with Pence's 24 percent. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin placed fifth, with 7 percent of the vote. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney placed third, with 13 percent and former House...

How sad and pathetic is the effort to prop up Mitt Romney, to make him look like a viable candidate for 2012? Pretty sad. As is done at every big political gathering, a straw poll was held at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. These things are generally worthless as a predictor of who is a viable candidate though, Bill Frist won the previous poll at the SRLC, for example. At this year’s CPAC event, Ron Paul won the polling, making a mockery of the entire process. In fact, so many shenanigans have been going on lately, there...

WASHINGTON -- Texas Rep. Ron Paul won the most support for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination in an unofficial straw poll of conservative activists attending the annual CPAC conference. A libertarian who has railed against spending, Paul won the contest yesterday at the Conservative Political Action Conference with 31 percent backing. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney came in second with 22 percent, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came in a distant third with 7 percent. Fewer than a quarter of the 10,000 attendees participated in the balloting.

WASHINGTON -- The Dem ocratic Congress is in the dumps, the Obama presidency has turned into something of a lemon, and Republicans have enjoyed a spate of victories in some of the most unlikely places. So why would a chorus of boos rise from a gathering of conservatives here this weekend at the prospect of facing a crippled Obama in 2012? Because, much like 2008, the Republican field remains downright depressing. The only unified applause came when the announcer noted that a majority of those participating in the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Committee are not satisfied with...

Ron Paul Wins CPAC 2012 Presidential Straw Poll

The first skirmish in the war over the GOP WH nomination takes place this weekend among thousands of conservative activists, and veterans of previous straw polls see a tight battle between ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney and ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin developing at this week's Conservative Political Action Conference. In an informal survey of GOP party leaders, strategists, activists and pundits representing backers of virtually every potential candidate in the field, a narrow plurality say Palin will win this weekend's straw poll. 22 of 48 GOPers surveyed chose Palin, while 20 chose Romney. Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and MN Gov. Tim...

"Political Wire" has a CPAC Presidential Straw Poll up at: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/02/17/who_will_win_the_cpac_straw_poll.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PoliticalWire+%28Political+Wire%29 Sarah Palin is currently blowing away the competition with 67% My "dark horses" are missing from this list. That would be Kasich/Rubio (assuming both win in November). Comments?