“when a candidate finishes a close second and then still polls in single digits one realizes a lot of ballot stuffing went on”
That’s not fair to Ron Paul. He has an intense, loyal following, albeit not huge. In a straw poll, such a candidate can do well by out-organizing the opposition. He did well in relative terms, but in absolute terms, his votes were only 27% of the total. This narrow but deep support would make him a disaster as the Republican standard bearer. There’s just too many of his ideologically pure positions that don’t square with the general voter’s view of the world.