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Conservatives Pick Romney, Giuliani For 2008
Nathan Burchfiel
Staff Writer
(CNSNews.com) - After three days of intense campaigning by some of the 2008 Republican presidential hopefuls, conservatives at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday chose former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as their top two candidates.
Both men addressed the mega-conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, another Republican presidential hopeful, also addressed the gathering and placed third in the poll.
Romney took 21 percent of the 1,705 votes. The straw poll, which is unscientific and was heavily weighted toward college-aged participants, was conducted by Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates. Giuliani received 17 percent of the votes.
Although unscientific, the annual CPAC straw poll is considered an indicator of where candidates stand in the eyes of the Republican Party's hardcore conservative base. Several of the candidates, most visibly Romney and Brownback, used hundreds of student volunteers to campaign over the three-day conference.
The straw poll taken in 1999 - the same length of time ahead of the 2000 election as this year's is ahead of 2008 - favored George W. Bush, who would go on to win the Republican nomination and the presidency. Gary Bauer won 33 percent of that poll but dropped out of the race a year later due to his poor primary showing.
Last year's CPAC attendees favored Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Giuliani. Rice did not place in this year's poll.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the only major Republican hopeful to reject an invitation to speak at the conference this year, came in fifth place, behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has yet to announce whether he will seek the Republican nomination.
The poll also asked conference attendees why they thought Republicans had lost control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections. Thirty percent of respondents cited the war in Iraq and 20 percent blamed GOP congressional job performance.
More than 80 percent of participants support President Bush's troop "surge" proposal for Iraq.
Both men addressed the mega-conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, another Republican presidential hopeful, also addressed the gathering and placed third in the poll.
Romney took 21 percent of the 1,705 votes. The straw poll, which is unscientific and was heavily weighted toward college-aged participants, was conducted by Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates. Giuliani received 17 percent of the votes.
Although unscientific, the annual CPAC straw poll is considered an indicator of where candidates stand in the eyes of the Republican Party's hardcore conservative base. Several of the candidates, most visibly Romney and Brownback, used hundreds of student volunteers to campaign over the three-day conference.
The straw poll taken in 1999 - the same length of time ahead of the 2000 election as this year's is ahead of 2008 - favored George W. Bush, who would go on to win the Republican nomination and the presidency. Gary Bauer won 33 percent of that poll but dropped out of the race a year later due to his poor primary showing.
Last year's CPAC attendees favored Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Giuliani. Rice did not place in this year's poll.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the only major Republican hopeful to reject an invitation to speak at the conference this year, came in fifth place, behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has yet to announce whether he will seek the Republican nomination.
The poll also asked conference attendees why they thought Republicans had lost control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections. Thirty percent of respondents cited the war in Iraq and 20 percent blamed GOP congressional job performance.
More than 80 percent of participants support President Bush's troop "surge" proposal for Iraq.
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