Conservatives Pick Romney in Unscientific Straw Poll

March 3, 2007 — -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won a presidential preference straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington this weekend.

Twenty-one percent of those who took the poll chose Romney. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani came in second with 17 percent of the vote, followed by Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

The poll is unscientific and may have been influenced by the busloads of young Republicans Romney's campaign brought in from out of state.

Regardless of the results, conservatives remain in a quandary. They're not satisfied with the party's frontrunners -- Giuliani, McCain and Romney.

"I don't like the fact that some of them aren't conservative on social issues, some are not conservative on economic issues," said Robert Cruciger, a conservative activist from Ohio. "I think we need an all-around candidate who's conservative on both."

"There's nobody that stands out in my mind," said Mike Sparling of Michigan.

"They're looking for Ronald Reagan," said John Cox, who is running a self-financed campaign for president. "They're looking for a true statesman."

Sensing opportunity, lesser-known candidates such as former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, former Arizona Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado tried to persuade conservatives they don't have to settle.

During his speech today, Gilmore borrowed a line from former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean and thundered, "I want to represent the Republican wing of the Republican Party!"

McCain was the only Republican contender to skip the event. Huckabee said that's a mistake.

"CPAC brings together not just sort of peripheral activists, but the people who lead movements," he said. "So getting a message here, and connecting and resonating with the people of this group, is really resonating with the heart and soul of the Republican Party."