Rand Paul Wins 2016 Presidential Straw Poll, Trounces Chris Christie

dailycaller.com ^ | 09/22/2013

[BarnacleCenturion]

Sen. Rand Paul decisively won a straw poll held over the weekend in Michigan at a bi-annual gathering of Republicans, earning more than double the votes of rival New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican from Kentucky, won 188 votes, or 36 percent, in the 2016 Mackinac Presidential Straw Poll. Christie came in at second with 82 votes, or 16 percent, in the poll.

“It’s always exciting to place first in anything,” Paul told The Daily Caller in a phone interview Sunday morning from Mackinac Island after the results were announced.

He noted that the Island is “overrun with limited government, small government conservatives.”

“Not too many liberals on the Island this week,” Paul said with a laugh.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush came in with 42 votes, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker got 39 votes. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz trailed behind at 36 votes. Of those at the conference, 526 voted.

[SoConPubbie]

No. Romney won the last one and then went on to win the nomination.

Yea, but you know what I mean. The Paul supporters routinely spam these things. Not a real reflection of reality when they are involved.

[sargon]

Will they be backing him when they find out he is for amnisty for illegals, queer marriage, and about every other left wing idea?

LOL

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

“How about a Ted Cruz-Ron Paul presidential ticket. Or it could be Ron Paul-Ted Cruz.

Both are young and dynamic”

Do you mean Rand? Don’t believe I’ve ever heard Ron called young and dynamic before.

[Repeal The 17th]

Chris Christie’s chance of becoming president is zero.

[GeronL]

I won’t vote for R. Paul for anything after amnesty

[dfwgator]

Christie thinks the Democrats love him and will cross over and vote for him.

He’ll find out the hard way, if he gets the nomination, the media will treat him just like any other Republican.

[dennisw]

Rand!!! I messed that up

[Springfield Reformer]

If I thought he was the best we had, I’d be depressed out of my mind. We can do better.

[Beagle8U]

“I won’t vote for R. Paul for anything after amnesty”

Bu Bu But he is for dope, lots and lots of dope, and queer marriage, and dope...

That about covers the main things Liberaltarians care about.

Give the average liberaltarian a big sack of dope to smoke with his queer boyfriend and you could get them to vote for Karl Marx!

[GeronL]

lol

[piytar]

Um, did ya mean Rand, not Ron?

[albie]

How about a Ted Cruz-Ron Paul presidential ticket. Or it could be Ron Paul-Ted Cruz.”

...I would be beyond excited either way! Ted for POTUS is my 1st choice.

[pallis]

Rand and his daddy have this straw poll thing down good.

[rrrod]

Yep...he is his daddy’s boy.
He will never be pres. but may form a third party to help Hillary.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Paul is about third or fourth on my very short list of Republicans I will vote for. Christi ain’t even on that list.
Palin
Cruz
Paul

I wanted Palin to run in 2012 a lot, and I'd have supported her to the end. I don't understand her moves at this point. If she'd left the Alaska governor's post to prepare for a presidential run, that's one thing. But she didn't. If she left because she and her family were understandably sick of being smeared by the media - well, that's nothing to the treatment she'll get running for President. I've got doubts now about whether she's got the belly for the campaign, let alone the job.

Cruz is interesting - I know he's got views on immigration that I can respect, but I don't know enough about the man and his other views yet.

Rand Paul - I'm not on board with Libertarian views on foreign policy, but this nation is desperately in need of people in the federal government who honestly believe in small, limited government. There's no better place to start than at the top. If needed, I can vote for Paul.

I won't vote for Chris Christie under any circumstance. No matter how hard he plays to the right in the primary campaign, he has no credibility as a conservative.

[Gene Eric]

Rand Paul does not articulate the necessary conviction we see in Cruz.

Cruz for POTUS!

[dennisw]

Rand!!! as in Ayn Rand!!!

[glorgau]

I don't understand her moves at this point.

My guess is that she saw that their was no way to win. It just wasn't going to happen in 2012.But she did say she could go out and make a difference as a private citizen. Her help for Rand Paul and Ted Cruz brought now them to the center stage of national politics.

Note how Syria fades to the background when real internal power politics are involved. Payback is going to be wicked once the pumps on this ship of state fall behind the many,many leaks.

Keep up the full court press!

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

“If she left because she and her family were understandably sick of being smeared by the media -....”

It wasn’t just the media smears (which set new world records for vileness, scope and persistence) — her whole family was being driven into bankruptcy by a tsunami of nuisance law suits related to her job as Governor. Even though none of those suits had merit, they were a huge distraction from the job of Governor. She said she was forced to resign, in the interests of Alaska, and to protect her family from ruin. The laws have been changed, and all future Governors will be protected from such harassment.

[daler]

"It wasn’t just the media smears (which set new world records for vileness, scope and persistence) — her whole family was being driven into bankruptcy by a tsunami of nuisance law suits related to her job as Governor. Even though none of those suits had merit, they were a huge distraction from the job of Governor."

Interesting that Dem office-holders, many of whom probably deserve it, never seem to face this kind of persecution.

Only the Newts, Delays and Palins, it seems.