USA TODAY | February 20, 2010
Talk about your political upsets.
Rep. Ron Paul, hero of a fervant band of libertarians, unexpectedly won the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference today, claiming 31% of the votes cast.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has carried the survey for the past three years, was second at 22%.
The straw poll is unscientific but is sometimes seen as a show of organizational strength among presidential hopefuls. However, Paul, who made a longshot bid for the Republican nomination in 2008, has given no indication he plans to run again.
