THIS TIME THE CPAC STRAW POLL JUST MIGHT HAVE CORRECTLY PICKED THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES …

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul won the CPAC 2013 straw poll with 25% of the vote. Florida Senator Marco Rubio finished a close second at 23%. Nearly 3,000 votes were cast by attendees at the three day conference held at a hotel just outside of Washington, DC in which the straw poll is considered one way to gauge where the conservative base stands on potential Republican nominees. Rand Paul had earlier wowed the crowd at CPAC.

Marco Rubio, lft. – Rand Paul, rt.

Although it is far too premature to determine a front runner for the GOP for the 2016 Presidential election, what is apparent is that the two young Turk superstars of the Republican party were at the forefront of this straw poll and have conservatives support. Sen. Rand Paul became a conservative hero with his recent 13 hour filibuster where he took Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama head on with the “Drone” issue. Rand Paul make Holder and Obama blink. Although a CPAC straw poll does not determine an eventual GOP presidential nominee, what makes this much, much different is that the two straw poll winners, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, are both cross-over candidates which the LEFT and the MSM are going to have a hard time calling right-wing extremists.

Sen. Rand Paul won the 2013 Washington Times-CPAC presidential preference straw poll Saturday, and Sen. Marco Rubio was a close second, easily outdistancing the rest of the field and signaling the rise of a new generation of conservative leaders who will take the Republican Party into the 2016 election. Mr. Paul won 25 percent of the vote, and Mr. Rubio collected 23 percent. Former Sen. Rick Santorum was third with just 8 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who was not invited to speak at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference — was next with 7 percent, and Rep. Paul D. Ryan, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee last year, was fifth with 6 percent

The full poll results can be found here:

Paul — 25

Rubio – 23

Santorum – 8

Christie – 7

Paul Ryan – 6

Scott Walker – 5

Ben Carson – 4

Ted Cruz – 4

Bobby Jindal – 3

Sarah Palin – 3

Other – 14

Undecided – 1

Also, look for big things in the future from other Conservative superstars Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. The GOP has a deep bench for 2016.

A note to the 8% who voted for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was not invited to speak at the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference, he is no conservative and the GOP does not need another RINO running for office in the line of other failed GOP candidates like John McCain and Mitt Romney. The GOP needs to find what it stands for and a messenger to the people who can relay that message to We the People.