Paul Wins Again, Walker Finishes Strong Second, in CPAC Straw Poll

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky came in first for the third straight year and Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin made a strong second-place showing Saturday at the end of the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference in the Washington, D.C., suburb of National Harbor, Maryland. Paul, whose supporters have adopted a “Stand with Rand” theme, hailed the “constitutional conservatives” who chose to stand with him at the CPAC event.

“Our party is filled with constitutional conservatives who have chosen to stand with me for a third consecutive straw poll victory,” the Kentucky Republican said. “Since President Ronald Reagan, the (conference) has been the gold standard on where conservatives stand. The constitutional conservatives of our party have spoken in a loud and clear voice today.”

Paul captured 26 percent of the votes cast by the 3007 conference attendees who participated in the poll. Walker, the Republican governor whose controversial curbing of the bargaining power of public employee unions has won the admiration of many of the party’s grassroots conservatives, came in second with 21 percent. His victory in Wisconsin in a recall vote as well as his election triumphs in a “blue” state have impressed some GOP strategists for his ability to attract working class and middle income voters from among Democrats as well as Republicans. Walker, who received some flak for his refusal to discuss foreign policy or answer a question about evolution during a visit to London last month, said during his appearance at the conference on Thursday that the massive protest demonstrations in Madison during the labor unrest had prepared him for dealing with foreign crises, including the conflict with the ISIS terrorists in the Middle East.

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