Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who captured the hearts of many conservatives after his marathon 13-hour filibuster, won the CPAC 2013 straw poll, gathering 25 percent of the vote, edging out Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) who won 23 percent of the 2,930 votes cast, Politico reported.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum finished third, with eight percent followed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who got seven percent. The announcer called Christie "the media's candidate," and the crowd booed when his name was announced.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) received six percent of the vote followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who captured five percent.
Both men received loud applause when their names were read, Politico said.
Former President Dwight Eisenhower received a write-in vote, as did former President Richard Nixon.
During his speech to the convention Friday, Paul took on what he called the "old guard" of the GOP, referring to Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who criticized his filibuster.
"The GOP of old has grown stale and moss covered. I don't think we need to name any names, do we?" he asked.
"The new GOP will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and the personal sphere. if we're going to have a Republican Party that can win, liberty needs to be the backbone of the GOP," he said.
On Friday, McCain apologized for calling Sens. Paul and Ted Cruz "wacko birds" while appearing on Fox News and said that he respects what they stand for.
“[In] an interview I said that Sen. Cruz and Sen. Paul were ‘wacko birds.’ That was inappropriate and I apologize to them for saying that, and I respect them both. I respect what they stand for and what they believe in. They both made an impact out here in the United States Senate,” he said.
Paul's speech to CPAC can be seen here.
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