Ron Paul surprises party establishment by winning Idaho GOP straw poll in Garden City
Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 12:08PM 
Despite a speech from U.S. Sen. Jim Risch backing Mitt Romney, Rep. Ron Paul won Friday’s pay-to-play vote. Paul’s surrogate was Washington state Rep. Matt Shea of Spokane Valley.
How strong a win? The former Libertarian got 43 percent (173 votes) to the former Massachusetts governor’s 34 percent (135). Trailing them were Newt Gingrich with 12 percent (47 votes), Rick Santorum at 10 percent (40) and Jon Huntsman with 1 percent (4). A total of 399 people from across Idaho participated. Rick Perry's campaign asked not to be included on the straw poll ballot.
What’s it mean? It cost $30 to participate, and party officials cautioned against making too much of the result. The poll was a party fundraiser held at the Riverside Hotel in Garden City.
Whoops of joy: Paulies were jubilant. “It feels so good,” said Chris MacCloud of Meridian. “Just a lot of hard work, time and energy.”
New plan for GOP: Idaho Republicans are using a caucus for the first time this year. They also moved up the delegate-selection date from a May primary to the March 6 caucus on Super Tuesday — which features GOP contests in 10 states — in hopes of having a role in picking the nominee. Party officials hope for 15,000 to caucus in Ada and Canyon counties alone.
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/01/06/1942935/ron-paul-wins-idaho-gop-straw.html#storylink=latest#storylink=cpy
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