Former President Trump received 55 percent of the support in CPAC’s annual straw poll of potential political standard-bearers. As Ben Jacobs points out, Trump is one of five others to have topped that list more than once.
This is Donald Trump's second win in a CPAC straw poll.
The other multiple winners:
Mitt Romney won 4 times, Rand Paul 3, Ronald Reagan 3, Jack Kemp 3 and Ron Paul 2.— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 28, 2021
Here are several other notes of context from Jacobs about the CPAC straw poll.
One big trend from CPAC, a place where Mitt Romney once won 4 straw polls and Jack Kemp won 3, is how much American conservative activists are now moving towards a more European vision of the right https://t.co/vahUzSp20x
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 28, 2021
Mike Pence at 1% is very notable too https://t.co/unHA2PypY9
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 28, 2021
Worth noting how poor Mike Pence's performance in the CPAC straw poll was in historic context where only 1% of attendees said they would support him for President in 2024. Dan Quayle got 6% in the straw poll at CPAC in 1993! https://t.co/neFaOOGKnu
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 28, 2021
Also, for historic context, Jack Kemp was the overwhelming favorite at CPAC ahead of Pat Buchanan by a margin of 53-10. Pretty clear the attendees a generation later are far more in the Buchanan camp than the Kemp camp.
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 28, 2021
All of that reaffirms to us that a straw poll taken in February is worth nothing more in the broader political landscape than a straw poll taken in February. Nevertheless, the CPAC straw polls nearly always provide a jumping-off point for discussions about which potential candidate(s) conservative support will coalesce behind in a future election.
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