Paul wins another presidential straw poll

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) won his second GOP presidential straw poll at Saturday’s Northeast Republican Leadership Conference (NRLC) in New Hampshire.

{mosads}Paul brought in 15 percent of the vote in the first-in-the-nation primary state, even though he did not attend, the conference announced in a statement.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took second place, while former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and neurosurgeon Ben Carson tied for third place with 11 percent.

“What this survey tells is that is that no one candidate has really separated themselves from the potential field in 2016,” said Ryan Steusloff, vice president of WPA Opinion Research, which conducted the poll. “At this point, the nomination is completely up for grabs, and of the would-be contenders, no one can be ruled out just yet.”

Paul typically does well in straw polls with a strong base of supporters, similar to his father. A week ago, the Kentucky Republican won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference for the second year in a row.

The NRLC was billed as a way for activists in the party to discuss how to win in midterm elections. Top speakers included Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Santorum and former ambassador John Bolton. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown spoke Friday, while announcing the creation of an exploratory committee for a Senate bid in the state. 

The conference survey polled 223 attendees, 60 percent residing in New Hampshire. Of the respondents, 43 percent identified as “very conservative;” 39 percent said they’re “somewhat conservative” and 17 percent identified as “moderate.”

This story was updated at 7:30 p.m.