Paul wins Michigan straw poll

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) won a presidential straw poll following a political conference in Michigan on Saturday, according to The Detroit News.

{mosads}Paul captured 22 percent of the vote, the newspaper reported, followed by former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina with 15 percent, Ohio Gov. John Kasich with nearly 14 percent, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with 13 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with nearly 10 percent.

The top five candidates in the poll all made appearances at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference (MRLC) over the weekend, The Detroit News added.

The top two candidates in the poll, Paul and Fiorina, were also the last two to speak on Saturday night.

The Paul campaign told the newspaper the victory shows the libertarian-leaning senator’s campaign is still alive, despite polling in single digits in recent national surveys.

“This is an organization test that indicates that [Paul] will over-perform in other organizational contests such as Iowa, Nevada, Minnesota and other caucus states that come before the March 8 Michigan primary,” Paul’s national political director, John Yob, said.

“It is an honor to win the MRLC straw poll as it is voted on by the most influential Michigan GOP members, grassroots leaders and party activists from throughout the country,” Paul said, according to The News.