Ted Cruz Wins Hate Summit Straw Poll

Shocking.

Sen. Ted Cruz won the 2014 Values Voter Summit straw poll for the second year in a row on Saturday, following an extremely popular speech Friday in which the Texas Republican promised a kind of salvation from the Obama presidency. Cruz earned 25% of the 1,900 votes cast at this weekend’s Values Voter Summit to be president, less than the 42% he received last year shortly after he led the government into a the shutdown. Dr. Ben Carson, a regular straw poll contender, earned 20%, while Gov. Mike Huckabee, another speaker at the event, came in third with 12% of the vote. Hillary Clinton earned one vote, likely the work of a jokester. The straw poll for vice president saw similar results: Carson and Cruz earned 22% and 14% of the vote, respectively. Perhaps the only surprise of the poll was Bobby Jindal, who earned 11% support from attendees in the vote for vice president.

No poll was held in 2008 and 2012 as the Republican nominees had already been selected. Previous winners: Ted Cruz (2013), Ron Paul (2011), Mike Pence (2010), Mike Huckabee (2009), Mitt Romney (2007).