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A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of northern Italy.  Slideshow 

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Ron Paul, Herman Cain win Tea Party poll to run against Obama

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US Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) speaks at the Conservative Political Action conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 11, 2011. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

US Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) speaks at the Conservative Political Action conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

PHOENIX | Sun Feb 27, 2011 5:50pm EST

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Rep. Ron Paul and Georgia businessman Herman Cain were conservative Tea Party activists' top picks to run against Barack Obama for president in 2012, leaving former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in third place.

In a 'presidential straw poll' of nearly 1,600 conservative members of the Tea Party Patriots released on Sunday, 581 voted for U.S. Representative Ron Paul, a Texas Republican, to run against Obama next year

Herman Cain, a Georgia businessman and talk-radio host, came in second with 256 votes.

Palin, a favorite of the conservative movement who was Senator John McCain's running mate against Obama in 2008, trailed in a distant third place with 149 votes.

"Mr. Cain and Rep. Paul's positions resonated with Tea Party Patriots this weekend," said Mark Meckler, the Tea Party Patriots' national coordinator, of the poll taken at the group's policy summit in Phoenix over the weekend and online.

"The straw poll indicates the enthusiasm for these strong conservatives," Meckler said.

Both Paul and Cain spoke at the summit held at a convention center in downtown Phoenix that drew more than 2,000 activists from across the United States. Palin did not attend.

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who addressed the gathering as he mulls a run in 2012, came in fourth place with 143 votes.

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; editing by Peter Bohan)
Politics
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Comments (27)
dslovejoy wrote:
Ron Paul has been nominated a lot, but main stream media combined with the DNC and GOP have blackballed him from being a serious contender.
His ideas are too radical, and too dangerous for the powers that be.
Some of his ideas are even too radical for some parts of the TEA party.
He is a definate risk to the Federal Reserve and IRS.

Feb 27, 2011 6:22pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Californian16 wrote:
If the Republican Party expects to de-throne Obama in 2012, they better not nominate Ron Paul or Herman Cain. Who is Cain ??? As for Paul, Trump said it correctly – He can’t win.

Let’s get some one who has a real chance of evicting the community organizer – Governor Sarah Palin for President, and Representative Michelle Bachmann for V.P. – NOW THERE’S A REAL WINNING COMBINATION ! ! ! !

Feb 27, 2011 6:56pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Adam_S wrote:
Hahaha. Paul/Cain in 2012 would be a handoff to Obama. What a joke.

Feb 27, 2011 6:58pm EST  --  Report as abuse
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