Rand Paul Edges Marco Rubio in CPAC Poll

Sen. Rand Paul beat Sen. Marco Rubio in the CPAC straw poll today by a hair—25% to 23%—but stayed well ahead of the other Republicans in contention, the Washington Times reports. The rest of the pack, courtesy of the Washington Post:

• Rick Santorum: 8%
• Chris Christie: 7%
• Paul Ryan: 6%
• Scott Walker: 5%
• Ben Carson: 4%
• Ted Cruz: 4%
• Bobby Jindal: 3%
• Sarah Palin: 3%
• Other: 14%
• Undecided: 1%

The Times conducted the survey of 2,930 attendees at the three-day conservative conference, which skewed young (41% students) and leaned libertarian (77% said less government intrusion and more individual freedom were their priority; traditional values won 15% and national security 8%). The Times said the poll signaled "the rise of a new generation of conservative leaders" ready for the 2016 election, but The Week called the poll "hoopla," noting that only two winners have won the presidency since it started in 1976: Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. (More straw poll stories.)