Ron Paul Wins Straw Poll Vote in Republican Leadership Conference

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul emerged as the big winner of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference's straw poll.

The poll results were revealed Saturday June 18th as several Republican presidential hopefuls gathered in New Orleans to appeal to southern conservatives.  Dr. Paul (R-Texas) won nearly 40 percent of the vote while Huntsman, former governor of Utah, took under a quarter of the vote.  "This win is just the latest indicator of how the majority of American opinion is turning in Ron Paul’s direction,” Jesse Benton, chairman of Paul's campaign, said in a statement.  “The American people want and deserve someone who will tell them the truth, tell them what needs to be done, and who has an untouchable record of consistency to back it up.”
Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) placed third in the poll with 12 percent of the vote. Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney followed with fewer votes, showing voters remember Romney's flip-flopping history.

During Pails nearly 40-minute speech, the famed Texas congressman focused on the economy, saying the U.S. has been in a "severe slump" for a decade now. Despite a population growth of 30 million people, no new net jobs were added, he said.  "We're slipping and sliding. It's always been moderated by more handouts, more entitlements," he said.
"We have lost our way," Paul asserted. "We care less about freedom than we do about the government taking care of us from cradle to grave."

Paul, who says his long-espoused message for limited government and greater liberties is now reminded the crowd that freedom has been lost over the past couple hundred years.  "A free society is ... the most productive society," he said.
Commenting on the popularity of Paul, Heritage Foundation Vice President of Government Studies Michael Franc admitted earlier that there is a newfound appeal for the libertarian emphasis on limited government.
And that view appeals to a certain extent to Christians who value the freedom to worship without government interference, he noted.  This also means Christian social conservatives could flock to Paul also as a newly found household name.