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A candidate’s personal aide is normally told to remain quietly in the background. The so-called body man is supposed to be a constant, yet invisible, presence who is ready with a felt tip pen for autographs, prepared to operate any number of cameras, and knows what their boss wants to eat, and when. Garrett Jackson, who serves the role for Romney, can be seen in the background of numerous news photographs, usually with an earpiece surveying a crowd or guiding Romney to his next event (a rare exception was last week when Romney, in Jackson’s native Mississippi, told a crowd...

The Southern Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll doesn't carry a whole lot of weight, since it's skewed — like most of these things — by the makeup of the crowd, the intensity of Ron Paul's supporters and the ease of gaming the vote. That doesn't mean, however, that the various camps aren't trying to game it. One of the organizers told me that two groups, Paul's Campaign for Liberty and Evangelicals for Mitt (which denies ties to Romney) have purchased blocks of tickets to the event, typically given to supporters. etc

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) – Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney would be the top pick of Republicans meeting here, to square off against US President Barack Obama, if the party primary were held now, officials said Saturday. Romney edged out Texas Congressman Ron Paul by only one vote -- 439-438 -- to win a nine-candidate race of Republican candidates, according to results of Saturday's test vote at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Paul and Romney campaigned unsuccessfully for their party's presidential nomination in 2008. It was won, however, by Arizona Senator John McCain, who eventually lost to Democrat Obama. The...

NEW ORLEANS -- Mitt Romney won the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership conference here Saturday in a victory that will be taken as a sign of the former Massachusetts governor's strength as a 2012 presidential candidate. That's because the 2008 GOP presidential hopeful elected to skip the conference to continue his book tour. Romney triumphed by a single vote over Ron Paul, who took second place 439 votes to 438. Both men won 24 percent of the vote. Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich essentially tied for third with 18 percent of the vote each.

The Drudge Report made it the headline story Saturday night: ROMNEY WINS STRAW POLL RESULTS. At the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, the former governor of Massachusetts, who, incidentally, signed into law the state health care system upon which Obamacare is based, narrowly edged Ron Paul in the informal poll of potential GOP candidates for 2012. Sarah Palin was third in the polling, with Newt Gingrich finishing out the top four. Some of the big guns in the conservative movement and the Republican Party will make a big story out of this, as they have been pulling for Romney since the...

Mitt Romney, the once and likely future presidential candidate, didn’t show up to address the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, but that didn’t stop him from walking away with the big prize from the gathering. The former Massachusetts governor bested the competition in a straw poll conducted here over the past two days. Romney received 24 percent of a total of 1,806 ballots cast when voters were asked to name the candidate they would support if the Republican primary for president were held today. [snip] A group whipping votes for Romney, Evangelicals for Mitt, spent the day handing out plastic pink...

April 10 Mitt Romney Wins Presidential Straw Poll at Republican Leadership Conference Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the straw poll by one vote over Rep. Ron Paul, 438-437. The person who didn't attend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference won the 2012 GOP presidential straw poll. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the straw poll by one vote over Rep. Ron Paul, 438-437. Sarah Palin finished in third place with 330 votes, while Newt Gingrich rounded it out with 321 votes. Several potential candidates addressed the three-day gathering which ended Saturday. Eyeing another presidential bid, Texas Rep. Ron Paul told...

Results are in from the Southern Republican Leadership Conference 2012 Presidential Straw Poll. Here are the top four: 439 Mitt Romney 438 Ron Paul 330 Sarah Palin 321 Newt Gingrich Fox News' Carl Cameron just reported that Romney supporters were "handing out gifts" to attendees, and that Ron Paul sold cut-rate tickets to the event on his website. So, considering that, I would say Palin and Gingrich made pretty good showings.

NEW ORLEANS -- The grassroots group Evangelicals for Romney has made a decent-sized splash here at the SRLC, with massive signs in the hall across from the ballroom, piggy banks with their slogans carved on the side ("Elect a president who won't break the bank!"), and a key banner placement in the background of the bar where Sean Hannity will film his show. But while the group isn't talking about where its money came from, founder Nancy French told me that it bought "a couple hundred" tickets for supporters to come in and support Romney in the straw poll. I...