Handily defeats competitors in the Gem State
LAKE JACKSON, Texas - 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul easily beat his competitors in the Idaho state Republican Party's first-ever public presidential straw poll. Paul earned 173 of the 399 votes cast statewide, followed by Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman who earned 135, 47, 40, and 4 votes, respectively.
The straw poll was held at the Riverside Hotel, located in Boise. The Idaho Republican State Central Committee recently moved its voting contest to March 6th—Super Tuesday—and will nominate candidates using a county by county caucus system. Idaho has 32 delegates at the 2012 Republican National Convention, more than Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
"Ron Paul has a tremendous support base in the oft-overlooked but important state of Idaho. This straw poll win is a positive early indicator that as we focus even more on Pacific Northwest contests, Idaho will stand out as one of the states where Ron Paul has a competitive edge over his establishment competitors," said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.
Full results of the straw poll are as follows.*
Ron Paul - 173
Mitt Romney - 135
Newt Gingrich - 47
Rick Santorum - 40
Jon Huntsman - 4
[*Rick Perry's campaign requested he not appear on the ballot.]
To view a news story on the straw poll online, please click here.
Ron Paul, Ron Paul Campaign Press Release - Ron Paul Wins GOP Straw Poll in Delegate-Rich Idaho Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/299264