Posted on 09/26/2015 12:46:25 PM PDT by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz won the Values Voter Summit straw poll for the third year in a row on Saturday, a strong showing of support from evangelical voters for his 2016 presidential bid.
The firebrand Texas Senator won a whopping 35 percent of the poll of summit-goers, ahead of runner-up Ben Carson’s 18 percent. That margin is significantly wider than last year, where he edged out Carson by just 5 percentage points.
Former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.) took third with 14 percent, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) with 13 percent. Real estate magnate Donald Trump finished a distant fifth with 5 percent.
Carson won the event’s poll for vice president.
Family Research Council Action president Tony Perkins announced the results Saturday afternoon to applause from the conference’s attendees. Perkins’ group organized the three-day event.
Eight GOP presidential candidates took to the summit stage in order to make their case to the religious conservative audience—Cruz, Carson, Trump, Rubio, Huckabee, as well as Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), and Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.).
The Values Voter Summit is Cruz country—he’s won the last two straw polls and several conference-goers mentioned his name first as the person they trust most on issues important to social conservatives when interviewed by The Hill during the event.
William Temple, a 65-year-old pastor from Brunswick, Ga., attended the conference dressed as Button Gwinnett, a Georgia signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Describing himself as a leader of the Tea Party’s 2009 “March on Washington,” Temple wore a black Tricorn hat and held a yellow Revolutionary flag embellished with the motto “Don’t Tread On Me.” He said that the signatures printed on his flag were collected at past events from “Tea Party heroes” including Ted Cruz, Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann.
Cruz is Temple’s favorite for the 2016 presidential race because the Texas senator is “right on every Constitutional issue.” Temple said of all the Republican candidates Cruz was “in the best place with evangelicals.”
Matt Schlapp, the president of the American Conservative Union, told The Hill on Friday before the straw poll that he wouldn't be surprised if Cruz won, praising his performance.
"Sen. Cruz continues to just understand these audiences. He connects well with these primary voters and he really doesn't misstep," he said.
"Every time I see him address these audiences across the country, he's very surefooted and I think he's just going to gain in popularity with these voters."
A number of other candidates received strong marks from conference goers, including Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses.
Social conservatives said they trust Jindal and Santorum, but none of the latter three are gaining traction in the GOP presidential race.
Ben Carson received warm support, but many still are not familiar with the retired neurosurgeon say it’s yet to be seen whether he will be as strong on social issues as Cruz or Huckabee.
While recent polls have shown Donald Trump leading with evangelical voters as well as across the board, he placed well outside of the top-tier. Trump gave an extremely well-attended speech on Friday, but some conference-goers mocked him for seeking to appeal to the Christian base by bringing the Bible that he said his mother gave him as a child.
“That was offensive,” said Todd Dexter, a fundraiser for nonprofit groups in Texas. “Have you opened it? That’s what everyone around me was asking."
Dexter though praised Cruz. "He didn’t all of a sudden become conservative just because he’s running for office.”
A handful of candidates didn't attend the summit—Jeb Bush, Govs. Chris Christie (N.J.), John Kasich (Ohio) and Carly Fiorina.
Bush, seen initially as one of the party's favorites for the nomination, received just seven votes in the straw poll.
"It would help him if he would actually show up and talk to values voters," Perkins said during a press conference after the event.
Christie and Graham did worse than Bush, both were tied with four votes.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) the progressive senator running for the Democratic nomination, received five votes.
But some Freepers did, and are.....
They were dissing Trump...and he knew they would.
He spoke the truth about Rubio and they hated it.
But it is still true...Rubio is for amnesty.
Trump says "come here legally"...
Cruz. I’ve given more money to this candidate already than I do most candidates all campaign.
You need a little maturity on your vine.
You've got a big mouth and big ego to go with it.
But no substance to back it up.
You run from thread to thread spouting your wonderful opinions...
But they aren't so wonderful in anyone's eyes but yours.
Contrition and humility are the gateway to wisdom.
I know this is news to you. But this is your invitation to the club.
You didn't even know this club existed...but it does.
Either be contrite and come on in...or spend another 25 years or many, many more on the outside.
It's up to you.
*****************
You're right. No one should expect any higher standard of behaviour from you.
“. And the boos were definitely at Trump”
If people are booing Trump because he ripped on Marco Amnesty Rubio, then Trump doesn’t have a problem, those booing do. You must be a big open borders fan like your buddy Marco.
Booooo! Boooooo!
Or at the very least, come out and brag about yourself.
Thank you for being so kind to wee little people.
as Trump claims to be a Shristian...absolute trust in ..CHRIST is the sole ingreditent in salvation and forgiveness.
now im >>not <<going to tell anybody here what THEY must believe but I MUST point out that as TRUMP claims to be a Believer...and doesnt NEED God to forgive him hes WAY WAYoff the mark...thats the basic tenet of Christianity.
the picture of his beliefs that hes presented.....waving the bible around...and saying he does not “bring God Into It” does not COMPUTE at ALL.
Freegards!
Donald Belongs on Semi Reality TV .... not in the Whitehouse unless invited
Thank you!
Hmmm..seems to be a poll Donald is not leading in.
I love posts like yours, because you're so easy to totally intellectually decapitate. You see, Marco is not my buddy. I prefer Trump over Marco by a wide margin. Trump was not my target - my target was idiots like you who refused to admit that with this audience, which was not a Trump rally, those boos were at Trump and not at Marco. I have made no comment on what that does or does not say about them - because that was not my point.
Game set match - thanks for playing, drive safe.
I love posts like yours, because you're so easy to totally intellectually decapitate. You see, Marco is not my buddy. I prefer Trump over Marco by a wide margin. Trump was not my target - my target was idiots like you who refused to admit that with this audience, which was not a Trump rally, those boos were at Trump and not at Marco. I have made no comment on what that does or does not say about them - because that was not my point.
Game set match - thanks for playing, drive safe.
you missed the point. You normally do.
actually, they are respected opinions in much bigger venues. You can find them on Google - but then, that would prove you wrong.
Proof I’m winning? You’re talking about me. I am not talking about you......
Suit yourself.
.
>> “I think the straw poll kind of turns the lights onto that fabrication.” <<
.
But not for the Trumpets. Reality is not a part of their consciousness set.
.
.
>> “Wouldn’t it be nice if that’s how he showed up in every poll.” <<
.
He will in every honest open poll.
The polls you reference are not honest; they preceded the poll with qualifier questions, so that supporters of Cruz, their only real enemy, are filtered out before the questions of the poll are asked.
Nothing reflects against the relevance of this poll to those without your agenda.
.
Ditto!....good call!
Well.
Color me corrected.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.