Cheeto wins CPAC straw poll/name recognition contest

From CNN -

Trump wins CPAC straw poll

Former President Donald Trump easily won an informal straw poll of conservatives Sunday, when asked who they would support in a GOP primary for president in 2024.

Among attendees as the Conservative Political Action Conference, 59% said they would vote for Trump if the 2024 Republican primary were held today.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second with 28% of the vote in the poll. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came in a distant third with 2% of the vote.

This would be significant...until one remembers that Ted "Cancun" Cruz won the same straw poll in 2016.

From Politico, dated 3/5/2016 -

Cruz wins CPAC straw poll

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday.

Cruz was named the winner with 40 percent of the attendees' support, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in second place with 30 percent. Donald Trump, who was scheduled to speak at CPAC on Saturday morning before pulling out, came in third place with 15 percent, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich had 8 percent.

And who do the people want for veep? South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has 12 percent, Haley has endorsed Rubio, and traveled with him on the trail. Kasich may not have placed high for the Oval Office but he’s tied for first for vice president. Carly Fiorina – who dropped out of the race earlier this month – is a close second with 11 percent of the vote. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Rubio are tied for third place with 9 percent a piece.

Of course, to be fair, for a poll two years out from the election, we should look at the results from 2014.

Also from Politico, this one dated 3/8/2014 -

Paul wins big in CPAC straw poll

Rand Paul handily won the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday, one gauge of the Republican base’s mood less than two years before the 2016 primary season kicks off.

The Kentucky senator received 31 percent, far ahead of second place Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who received 11 percent. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson finished third with 9 percent, ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who received 8 percent.

Doug Ducey of Arizona and Greg Abbott of Texas should be heartened by the 2022 result.  Both have presidential ambitions, but weren't even mentioned in the 2022 poll.  

However, the eventual winner of the 2016 Republican primary wasn't even an afterthought in the 2014 poll