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.
Well, I don’t know, maybe because Rubio is a clown and Carly is ugly.
LOL
You don’t think comparing someone to a chimpanzee is a cut above?
I appreciate that you don’t see me in that group, but seriously, Rubio and Carley. Don’t vote for Trump. Please don’t vote for one of those two.
That has been my take on Carley. If you don’t like Trump, Cruz is a Conservative. Why go Carley? She’s not necessary and just dilutes our vote for better people.
I think you mentioned you could vote for Trump, so some of my comments were actually meant to take others through a thought process.
87% of the people did not vote for Rubio.
That means that 87% of the audience was more likely to be against Rubio than for. Trump may have hit home with that 87% on the subject of Rubio being a clown.
You could use the same logic and say 95% didn’t vote for Trump too.
To be honest, I’m not sure who they booed, and since the polls bear no connection to greater primary polls, it doesn’t matter all that much either way.
Amazing how he doesn't see his own stupidity...foolishness.
Such a big shot...NOT.
Noobs should learn how to read.
If that’s what you want to believe, got for it.
But your ego...that is a dirt bag in the wind.
That ego filled bag will take some time to blow away. But dirt is still dirt.
Gimme a break.
I wouldn't let you teach my dog.
Everyone here but you is trying to post on the substance of the thread.
You are conducting a one man flame war against another FReeper.
Is there something the rest of us need to know here?
Can you handle it?
You spread nothing but lies and you ask me if I need to tell you something?
Well to start with...get use to the truth.
Ping to posts 43, 46
Cry away.
.
Why don’t you just end your attack on the other FReeper?
.
Thanks.
If you don’t quit trolling, you’re gonna piss me off.
I don’t believe D. Trump called C. Fiorina ugly. And she isn’t. imho, she does have a stern expression, which I admit is a trial point.
If they were actually booing because Trump called Rubio a clown, then these guys are a bunch of eunuchs.
If you’re a bigtime media person like you claim on your profile page, you’re going to have to live with the criticism you receive on FR. That’s what we do here. And if you can’t handle it, get all bent out of shape, and go on personal attack rampages against our posters, you’re gong to end up getting yourself banned.
By the way, our anti-Trump quota is filled. You might want to start focusing on some other topic before your welcome here runs out. Anti-Trump concern trolls are a dime a dozen. If we don’t weed them out, we’ll be overrun.
This may not mean much to you, but you are filling in for our fathers who fought in the worst of WWII.
My Dad was my hero...1 st Sgt in his platoon in WWII. He never mentioned it...but we all knew it.
So Rubs got more votes than Donnie? Ha!
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.