Paul wins CPAC presidential straw poll

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, was the winner of a straw poll on presidential preference at a gathering of conservatives in Washington Saturday.

Paul's victory - with 31 percent of the vote -- snapped a three-year winning streak for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll, Fox News Channel reported.

Romney was second in Saturday's poll with 22 percent, followed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with 7 percent.

Romney was a leading contender in 2008 for the Republican presidential nomination, which eventually went to Arizona Sen. John McCain -- who chose Palin has his running mate. The ticket lost the presidential election in November 2008 to the Democratic ticket of Barak Obama and Joe Biden.

Paul, a Libertarian who runs as a Republican, ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008 but was never in serious contention to win the nomination, Fox said.