Considered early predictor of party's next choice for president

Jose Luis Magana / AP Sen. Ted Cruz R-Texas pauses while speaking at the Values Voter Summit, held by the Family Research Council Action, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, in Washington.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas won by double digits a straw poll conducted by the conservative Family Research Council Action that is considered an early predictor of the next Republican choice for president.

Cruz won the Values Voter Summit straw poll Saturday night with 42 percent of votes, more than three times runner-ups Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and Fox News contributor, and Senator Rick Santorum. The vote is a strong endorsement from conservatives for the Texas senator’s combative stance against the White House.

Cruz has been a leading lawmaker seeking to delay or defund the Affordable Care Act.

Republican senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

[The Washington Post]