NN&V Exclusive
(Lori Piotrowski) – At the 2012 Conservative Leadership Conference, attendees listened to plenty of speaker, of course, but also voted in a straw poll sponsored by The Washington Times.
The poll focused on who the Republican presidential candidate, presumably Romney, although Paul followers will dispute that, will choose as a running mate.
When asked whether it was important that the running mate be chosen to diversify the ticket, 48.7% felt that was important while 43% said it was not.
Did the running mate’s geographical background matter? Fifty-three percent said it did; 38% said it didn’t.
Should the running mate be more conservative? Yes, said 88%.
Who should the vice presidential candidate be? Out of ten possibilities, the rankings were:
Sarah Palin: 2.5%
Scott Walker: 2.5%
Mitch Daniels: 3.7%
Rand Paul: 3.7%
Chris Christie: 3.7%
Sarah Martinez: 5%
Condoleeza Rice: 8.75%
Bobby Jindal: 11.25%
Paul Ryan: 17.5%
Marco Rubio: 27.5%
Last year, attendees voted Herman Cain to be the next president, so I’m not sure how much value to put on this year’s poll. Still, some interesting candidates are in the mix.