San Diego may be a Ron Paul hotbed.
The presidential candidate surprisingly won a local GOP straw poll over a slate of better-known candidates that have exchanged the lead in national polls.
Libertarian Rep. Paul, R-Texas, received 112 votes out of the 367 votes cast Monday night at the event designed to measure the intensity of support for Republican presidential hopefuls in the nation’s fifth most populous county.
Regarded mostly as a casual fundraiser for the Republican Party of San Diego County, the straw poll demonstrated Paul supporters’ enthusiasm and the refusal of Republicans to coalesce around perceived front-runner Mitt Romney, according to political analysts.
Registered Republicans were allowed one purchase each — $10 for a single ballot or $20 for three ballots, dubbed the “Solyndra Special” after the energy company that received more than $500 million in federal loan guarantees and later declared bankruptcy.
Paul outpaced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who received 83 votes, former Massachusetts Gov. Romney, who had 64, and businessman Herman Cain, who gained 59.
County GOP Chairman Tony Krvaric said that Paul’s impressive showing would have little material effect on the presidential race. However, it further proved that candidates could move the needle with a good ground game and strong organization, Krvaric said.
“The world is run by those that show up,” he said. “Or, in this case, straw polls are won by those that show up.”
In August, Paul finished second to Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann in the Iowa straw poll. In September, Paul won the California Republican Party straw poll by a wide margin over Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Romney, who owns a oceanfront home in La Jolla.
A Bloomberg News poll released Tuesday showed Paul, Romney, Gingrich and Cain in a virtual tie as the prospective top choices in the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses on Jan. 3. Still, Paul has been unable to distinguish himself in most national polls.
Brian Brady, a Paul supporter who addressed the crowd of about 400 people Monday at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, said he considered Paul a top-tier candidate not because of his personality, but because of his message.
Borrowing an oft-repeated line from President Ronald Reagan, Brady said Paul spoke in “bold colors” while the others dabbled in “pale pastels.”
“He believes we should follow the Constitution of these United States of American and he believes the federal government’s role is not to plan our lives, but to preserve and protect our liberty,” Brady said.
That Paul would receive early support in the region should not be all that surprising, given its deep-seated libertarian and anti-government streaks, said Sam Popkin, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego.
“Candidates like Romney don’t get any points out of anything but winning,” said Popkin, who is writing a book on presidential campaigns called “The Candidate.” “Romney is not willing to make the kinds of promises that excite a passionate small number. He would rather lose going for 50 (percent) than win going for 20.”
Popkin also likened Gingrich’s strong support and surge in the polls to being “everybody’s second or third choice.”
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All in all, not a bad article, and good comments. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/nov/15/is-san-diego-ron-paul-country/
