By finishing well above Palin and Pawlenty, Romney clearly remains well-positioned among the conservative activists who attend conferences such as CPAC. Having already sought his party’s presidential nomination once, and retaining many of the supporters he had in 2008, Romney enters the early going of the 2012 race as something close to a front-runner.

But the results of the straw poll, though imprecise, indicate that conservatives are not entirely happy with the field of likely candidates mentioned two years before the first balloting.

Fifty-three percent of those who participated in the contest said they wished the GOP had a better field of candidates. Forty-six percent said they were satisfied with those now seen as possible presidential candidates.

While Palin’s decision not to attend the conference may have been a factor in her single-digit showing, her modest finish underscores the degree to which she is not seen as a serious presidential contender by the most attuned activists in her party.

Even though he and his aides sought to downplay the poll, Pawlenty’s finish represents a disappointment for the 2012 Republican contender who has worked the most aggressively in the past year to make a name in party circles. Besides Romney, Pawlenty is the only potential candidate with the makings of a campaign infrastructure.

But given Paul’s win and the minimal effort made to contest the straw poll by the mainstream candidates — unlike in years past, there was no campaigning by them to rally support — the results don’t offer the window into the organizational strength of hopefuls offered by past polls.

Forty-eight percent of those who participated in the contest indicated that they were students, and the divergent reaction to the results reflected the outcome.

When Paul was announced as the winner, his many college-age supporters erupted in the corridors outside the ballroom, yelling, jumping and chanting their candidate’s name.

“We came here a long way to support Ron Paul and the Campaign for Liberty,” said Jeremy Henchcliffe, a student at Central Connecticut State University.

Other conservatives, though, voiced their frustration at Paul’s showing.

“I understand their passion, but he’s not the leader of the conservative movement,” said California Republican Phil Jennerjahn, who is mounting an uphill congressional run in the 33rd District.