Saturday, February 28, 2009

NEW GOP (grasping at) STRAW POLL FOR 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

CNN: A new national poll of Republicans indicates no clear front-runner for the next GOP White House nominee, but there does seem to be a clear gender gap. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday say they are most likely to support Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the next GOP presidential nomination.
Right behind the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, and well within the poll's margin of error, is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Twenty-six percent of those questioned say they are most likely backing Huckabee, the surprise winner of the 2008 Iowa GOP caucuses.
Twenty-one percent of Republicans polled say they most likely would support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another GOP hopeful from the last campaign who may run again. Nine percent say they would probably back Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is considered a rising star in the GOP.
The poll's release comes as conservatives from across the country are gathered in the nation's capitol to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual gathering of those from the GOP's right wing.
Those attending the meetings are voting in a straw poll for their favorite candidate for the next Republican presidential nomination. The results of which were Romney received 20 percent of the vote and Jindal got 14 percent. Close behind were Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who each received 13 percent of the vote.
The results were culled over two days from 1,757 of the party activists who came to Washington for the annual conference and filled out ballots on Thursday and Friday. Nearly 60 percent of the straw poll participants were between the ages of 18 and 25. More than half of the conference attendees this year were college students.
The choices in the poll were: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist; former House speaker Newt Gingrich; former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Jindal; Paul; Palin; Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty; Romney; South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, and "Undecided." There was also space on the ballots for a write in vote.

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