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For the third year in a row, Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky has won The Washington Times/CPAC presidential preference straw poll taken at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. His young libertarian legions made that possible again, as they did for Sen. Pauls father, former Rep. Ron Paul.

More interesting and likely more significant for the run-up to the 2016 presidential race is how well Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker did as well as former Florida governor Jeb Bushs relatively mediocre showing.

Gov. Walker surged from sixth place in 2014 to second place this year, tripling his portion of the 3,007 votes spread among 17 candidates to 21.4 percent, not far behind Pauls 25.7 percent. The margin between the two was even closer (less than one percentage point) when first and second choices were tallied.

Mr. Bush, meanwhile, was back in fifth place, behind physician Ben Carson and Sen. Ted Cruz as well as Paul and Walker.

When seen in light of this Crowdpac spectrum of a dozen potential GOP candidates, the results could have been predictable especially given CPACs gathering of activists from the most conservative wing of the Republican Party.

Least conservative here is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, with Bush judged to be only slightly more conservative. Most conservative is Paul, with Cruz, Walker, and Carson not far behind. (Crowdpac is a political technology start-up that bases its rankings on an individuals voting record, campaign donations, and communications, including speeches and social media.)

Still, Bush who met with boos over his positions on immigration reform and the Common Core educations standards can claim to have met expectations at CPAC without any major gaffes.

Falling away behind Bush in the straw poll were former Sen. Rick Santorum and Sen. Marco Rubio. Gov. Christie won just under 3 percent of the vote and former Texas governor Rick Perry took barely more than 1 percent.

What would any election be without charges of vote manipulation serious or not?

The Pauls Ron and son Rand have done well in recent years by encouraging their libertarian followers to show up and of course vote. Nearly half those voting this year were ages 18-25.

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Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll again, but Scott Walker comes on very strong

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul edged out Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to win his third straight Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll on Saturday, an early indicator of which 2016 candidates conservatives are beginning to rally behind.

Paul received just under 26 percent of the vote, while Walker won approval from 21 percent of the 3,007 attendees who participated. Both likely presidential candidates spoke during the three-day conference.

The poll is an early sign of which candidates are generating the most excitement amongst conservatives, though it rarely proves an accurate indicator of who will win the Republican presidential nomination the year before an election.

Paul's father, Rep. Ron Paul, won the straw poll in 2011. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the nomination the following year. Romney won the straw poll in 2007 and then fell to Sen. John McCain in the 2008 primaries.

Walker's second place finish is another sign his popularity is surging amongst influential conservative activists.

Sen. Ted Cruz and Ben Carson nearly tied for third place in the poll, each earning above 11 percent of the vote.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush earned about 8 percent after his appearance that generated mixed reaction from the crowd on Friday.

Paul said in a statement that, "I am humbled by the enthusiastic support and encouragement I received this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference," and called the poll "the gold standard on where conservatives stand."

"The Constitutional Conservatives of our party have spoken in a loud and clear voice today," Paul said. "I plan on doing my part and I hope you will join me as I continue to make the GOP a bigger, better and bolder party."

Andrew Rafferty

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Rand Paul Edges Out Scott Walker in CPAC Poll

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took the top spot for the third year in a row at Saturdays Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll, edging out Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) as the favorite in the last CPAC presidential preference contest before primary voting begins.

Paul had been the prohibitive favorite heading into this years balloting, which featured 17 candidates. More than 3,000 attendees voted, a 20 percent increase over 2014's turnout.

Hundreds of Paul fans had streamed in from across the country for the multi-day event in National Harbor, Md -- but his percentage of the vote actually dropped, to 25.7 percent, from 31 percent in 2014. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) had made a major effort, sponsoring buses that brought supporters in from Washington, D.C. to Maryland and paying entry fees for some supporters a push that brought him a fifth-place showing. Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), who drew a significant level of grassroots excitement at the conference with a strong performance in his Friday address, drew 21.4 percent of the vote, dramatically and improving on his fifth place showing last year. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who finished second to Paul in 2014, drew 11.5 percent of the vote, roughly the same as he had in 2014.

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who boasted a swell of grassroots support at CPAC, came in fourth place. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came in 10th place, with 2.8 percent of the vote.

Organizers said the results showed "how fluid and open the race is."

A candidates popularity with the Conservative Political Action Conference hasnt necessarily been a great predictor of his or her success with the larger GOP electorate, as attendees tend to have a stronger libertarian bent than the Republican majority. The Kentucky senator had won the CPAC straw poll in 2013 and 2014, and his father former Texas congressman Ron Paul won in 2010 and 2011. Mitt Romney won in 2012.

But that isnt really the point of CPAC anyway.

The event which is sponsored by think tanks, conservative Web sites and influential interest groups like the National Rifle Association is really more about theater, a forum for budding presidential candidates to road-test ideas. And in that regard, this years gathering did not disappoint.

Some of the excitement had to do with the fact that organizers changed the format of the event from previous years. Rather than just deliver speeches, candidates were expected to take questions from the audience a twist that helped some candidates, but hurt others.

Walker, who tops many polls, made headlines for appearing to draw a parallel between his fight in 2011 against public sector unions and the challenge the United States faces in combating the Islamic State, the militant group that has taken responsibility for beheadings, burnings and other savagery. Commentators shook their heads at the implicit comparison between Wisconsin citizens exercising their right to free speech by protesting with terrorists. A spokeswoman for the governor later clarified that he was in no way comparing any American citizen to ISIS. She continued, What the governor was saying was when faced with adversity he chose strength and leadership.

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Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll, with Scott Walker a close second

TIME Politics 2016 Election 5:40 PM ET Updated: 6:47 PM ET Mark PetersonRedux for TIME Rand Paul speaks at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.

Sen. Rand Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference for the third year in a row, but the real action was in second place, where Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took the honors.

Pauls victory, with 26% percent of the vote, was widely expected due to the throngs of young, libertarian-minded attendees. (He won 25% of the vote in 2013 and 31% in 2014.) But Walkers second-place win showed the Midwesterners growing credibility among conservatives.

In securing 21% of the vote, Walker is sure to ignite more buzz as he seeks to appeal to both the partys wealthy elite and its conservative base. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may be dominating the fundraising primary, but Walker is picking up support among the partys grassroots.

Walkers continued rise has only pressured the more moderate Chris Christie, who placed 10th with the unfriendly audience and is finding his path to the nomination narrowed by Walker and Bush.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose fiery brand of conservatism appeals particularly to the CPAC attendee, placed third with 12% of the vote.

But the straw polls results are hardly predictive of the GOP primaries, providing only a murky window into the polarized political party. Only registered attendees are provided a code with which to vote, turning campaign staffers and volunteers into temporary travel agents.

Bush came in fifth with 8% of the vote. He faced a skeptical crowd at CPAC, where the conservative base views the Bush heir as an establishment figure backed by Washington D.C.s power brokers. Many view his support of the Common Core education standards and immigration reform with suspicion, and his appearance on Friday punctuated was by heckles and jeers.

Busing in supporters to pack the audience and juice the vote in the straw poll is a longstanding CPAC tradition. On Friday crowds of young students descended on the Convention Center, bused in by Bush allies who helped them obtain passes to the conference when he spoke.

Paul and Cruzs PACs organized discounted registrations and hotel rooms nearby for young attendees, who play an outsized role in swaying the polls results.

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Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll, Scott Walker Takes Second

This article originally appeared on AlterNet.

Senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, seems to have no problem contradicting himself. The self-proclaimed constitutional conservative is typically lost in libertarian thought leading him to make inflammatory sexist, racist and overbearingly hypocritical comments on nearly every issue he faces. Whether hes attempting to police womens bodies, ignoring police brutality for stingy tobacco taxes, or speaking out against vaccines and posting himself receiving booster shots only days later, Ron Pauls son is one politician you can unabashedly hate or enjoy laughing at.

1. When Paul spoke outagainst vaccines:

I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.

Click to enlarge.

Rand Paul /Twitter

2. When he backedvoter ID laws:

I dont think theres a problem with showing your ID, but I do think theres a problem with Republicans saying, Hey, our big issue for the campaign is going to be voter ID, because what it creates is a lot of African-Americans understandably remember the 40s and 50s in the South, and they remember suppression of the vote.

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21 Rand Paul quotes that expose libertarianism for the con ...