PALATINE, Illinois Texas congressman Ron Paul won a statewide straw poll that sought to determine Illinois voters unofficial preference for the GOP presidential nomination, the Illinois Republican Party said Saturday night.
Paul won the poll with 52 percent of the vote. He won in both online and total votes.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney carried Illinois in-person voting with 35 percent of the vote.
The Illinois straw poll at 3,649 votes surpassed such large states as Ohio, Florida and California that held straw polls earlier this year.
Today s straw poll was an excellent opportunity to showcase our party s strength one year out of the election, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said in a statement. I am pleased with today s turnout and look forward to building on our successes from 2010.
Online voting started Oct. 29 and paper balloting went on throughout the day Saturday at about two dozen sites across Illinois. By Saturday morning, 2,400 online ballots had been filed.
Any Illinois voter could cast a ballot in the GOP straw poll with a $5 contribution to the state party. Other candidates on the ballot were: Michelle Bachman, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, John Huntsman, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum.
I congratulate Congressman Paul on his victory, Brady said. It is clear Illinois Republicans are gearing up (for a) tremendous election year in 2012.
The Illinois primary is March 20. Illinois is considered a state with much Democratic support. The state s electoral votes in 2008 went to President Barack Obama, who is a former U.S. senator and state senator from Illinois.
Herman Cain won a tea party straw poll last month in suburban Chicago, receiving 77 percent of votes from TeaCon 2011 participants. The convention included representatives from tea party groups in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.
