Posted on 09/26/2015 3:16:50 PM PDT by VinL
The results are in at the Values Voter Summit -- and, for once, Donald Trump fails to top a conservative poll.
The straw poll at the summit, a conservative gathering hosted by the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., showed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz winning over voters, leading the pack for the third year in a row.
Cruz, with 35 percent of support, was followed by neurosurgeon-turned-politician Ben Carson, with 18 percent of the vote. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came in third, drawing 14 percent of supporters, followed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 13 percent.
Play Video Why so thin-skinned, Donald Trump?
Registering at fifth place on the survey results: Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner in many state and national polls.
The religious conservatives in attendance simply weren't buying what Trump had to offer. Despite bringing his Bible on stage when addressing the audience, Trump registered at only 5 percent. Trump was even booed at the summit when he slammed Rubio over his immigration policies and called him a "clown."
Below Trump, Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina came in with 4 percent and 3 percent of the vote, respectively.
Trump's low support among the conservative evangelical base will come as no surprise for those following the billionaire's presidential campaign. Trump has been known to flout convention when it comes to wooing the religious right, even admitting once that he was "not sure" that he had ever asked God for forgiveness.
"If I do something wrong, I think I just try and make it right, I don't bring God into that picture," Trump said in July at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa.
Still, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, who announced the summit's results, said that Trump's fifth place showing was still "pretty good."
Of the issues most important to attendees, the top three included protecting religious liberty, advocating against abortion rights and protecting "natural marriage."
Carson, with 25 percent of the vote, was the first choice for the vice-presidential slot.
At least 2,700 registered participants attended the summit.
I don’t mind Cruz winning this attendee survey. His supporters should get a kick out of it. They can pat each other on the back and feel great. It won’t matter.
Folks, we’re talking Democrats, Independents, Moderate Republicans, and Conservatives.
Conservatives don’t exist in the Democrat, Moderate Republican, and general Independent parties.
This event was a slice of a slice of a slice. Not one poll out there so fare has come anywhere near these figures. They flip the numbers on their head. For better or worse, that is reality.
Extrapolating out that Cruz is now going to sweep the South, and it will all be over in his favor before March 15th, isn’t just wildly the product of a hallucination, it’s just sad.
Well, did he, or did he not vote for them?
I agree with you about that “values” crowd. They were a school of cold fish for Donald, and had their mind made up for their choices when they unfolded their chairs. They also were a little prim for the name calling, and you know Donald. He likes to throw pie meringue around in a contest.
I respect Trump for showing up, but this was a niche crowd and he is, imho, a more secular man. This crowd pretty much wanted choir boys. How they landed so cheerfully on Rubio, the Catholic Baptist, I’m sure I don’t know. :) lol.
Well, is Trump for bringing in more Syrian muzzies? We were told that immigration was his signature item. Which parts of Planned Parenthood does Trump want to support? Was he for Planned Parenthood before he was against it? Does he admire the Canadian and Scottish healthcare systems?
Conservatism won’t win the day. The next dem will need a real beat down.
Simple, Trump is NOT the top overall conservative... which is the exact reason I would not consider him any time in the past. That said, he may be the top Fiscal Conservative though, we have not really had one of those since Reagan... The Republicans we keep putting in that wont stand up for what we the people put them there for, have changed me, I have been burned for the last time, I am done voting for career politicians. We need real leadership that wants to change the way Washington works, Drastic changes and very quickly to have any chance of ever making any difference after the last 7 years we have endured and scraped by in this currently propped up economy. I think Trump is the only person that has any possible chance of making any real changes to fix the problem and change the way Washington works.
At least Trump doesn’t run and hide instead of answering as you have done.
I’ll answer for you; Yes Cruz voted for those two bills.
One put American workers at a disadvantage, and the other has put America, and the world, in grave danger.
Trump said it correctly, anyone who voted for TPA is unfit to be President.
I totally agree. It was Trump who was booed yesterday, not Rubio. I argued that way, and I am a hugh and series Trump supporter. That crowd was stone faced from the moment Trump opened his mouth. However, I was delighted to see him blow right past their pickle faces and deliver his give ‘em hell speech.
I thought this was Free Republic...I must have taken a wrong turn.
If conservatism won't win, what will?
Another plus mark for a Trump/Cruz ticket
wild eyed populism fed by a reality tv show STAR
Well, you can fully answer the questions when you tell me the disadvantages of Trumps positions. BTW are you going to abandon Trump if a more liberal candidate enters the race? Scott Walker is still in shock that you left him. Especially after you were so vehement in your support of him.
Looks like FReepers weren’t too impressed with these V V straw polls, in years past. (Labeled nonsensical, meaningless, rigged by Ron Paul, etc)
Here’s a good one, from 2010
Mike Pence takes top spot in Values Voter Summit straw poll [Palin comes in 5th]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2591900/posts
why are all these Trump supporters crowding Cruz threads to complain about this poll. “ >>>>
It is because this is the first results posted from the Values Summit. And, as a Trump supporter I was very interested in the results, especially given the cold fish welcome laid on Trump and the nashing of teeth in that audience when he called Rubio, (the Catholic Baptist Catholic), a “clown”.
I wanted to see how bad the poll placement for Trump would turn out. I came, I saw. :)
Vet has been around a long time as, I would say, the Master Poster. He probably requested the moderator, or Jim, to place it in Breaking News. How’d you do it 2D??
Sometimes it is very hard to rouse Breaking News editors. The column gets unnecessarily old for long periods of time, so I assume it is un-manned sometimes.
Deprogramming is key. Who will be the most effective salesman of pride
, anger, and ending the Washington machine.
Interesting. So the crowd was pretty liberal, it appears.
Also Cruz does not smile often, and when he does it tends to be condescending. The 'expert' said he needs coaching and fast.
I think Cruz is stiff at times, but I can't necessarily agree with all that the 'expert' opines.
That is not a problem :-) This is why these threads are posted. I was just commenting on the bash fest on Cruz, Cruz supporters, and those who participated in this poll. You would think that we were invaded by Boehner and McConnell supporters.
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