Mitt Romney, who was thrashed in contests in three states last week by Rick Santorum, revived his standing among his party’s most conservative faction with a decisive straw poll victory at the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference. Romney was chosen by 38 percent of the 3,408 CPAC attendees who participated in the poll, followed by Santorum, who won 31 percent. Newt Gingrich, who has struggled badly in the polls since his South Carolina primary victory last month, drew 15 percent. Ron Paul, who was last year’s winner but who skipped the conference to campaign in the Maine caucuses, came in last with 12 percent of the vote.
The straw poll results were announced to a mixture of gasps, cheers and boos from a packed ballroom at the Washington D.C. Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, which hosted the three-day CPAC event. The room was filled to capacity with conservative activists who were awaiting a speech by former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who has hinted at her support for Newt Gingrich.
