Presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul won a California straw poll by a large margin, the state Republican Party announced Saturday night.

Paul won with 44.9 percent of the votes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry came in second with 29.3 percent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in third with 8.8 percent, and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann came in fourth with 7.7 percent. A total of 833 ballots were cast during the straw poll.

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“This win is just the latest indication of our campaign’s growing momentum,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton. “Americans are sick and tired of the status quo and Dr. Paul offers a real change, and hope for a free and prosperous future.”

Paul, a libertarian, has gained an enthusiastic following for his strong views on limited government, free market economics and non-interventionist foreign policy. In the 2008 Republican presidential primary, his views clearly made him an outlier, but many of his economic positions have now been adopted by mainstream Republicans.

It is the second time Paul has beat out top Republican presidential candidates in a California straw poll this year. In March, nearly 18 percent of Republicans voted for Paul in the straw poll conducted at a GOP Convention in Sacramento.