Cruz wins CPAC presidential straw poll

Published March 05, 2016 FoxNews.com

Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday won the annual CPAC presidential straw poll, a gauge of where conservative voters stand.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in second and billionaire businessman Donald Trump came in third.

Cruz got 40 percent of the informal vote, followed by Rubio with 30 percent, Trump with 15 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 8 percent.

Trump at the last minute cancelled his appearance at the four-day CPAC event. Cruz and Rubio spoke at the event.

Last year, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul won the informal poll with 25.7 of the vote, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Cruz, Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rubio and Trump.

In 2012, the last CPAC straw poll in a presidential year, the winner was Mitt Romney, the eventual GOP nominee. He was followed by Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016...traw-poll.html