Results were in Saturday evening for the Saddle Up Texas Straw Poll, with Ron Paul finishing strongly and a weak showing for the state's own governor.
Tea Party groups organized the survey to give conservative voters more of a voice in national politics.
In-person voting took place over the last few days in Houston, but anyone statewide could participate through a text option. There were 707 paper ballots counted, with Ron Paul finishing in first place with nearly 28 percent of the votes.
- Ron Paul 27.9%
- Newt Gingrich 23.8%
- Rick Santorum 21.2%
- Rick Perry 19.4%
- Mitt Romney 6.6%
- Jon Huntsman 1.1%
More than 3,300 people voted by text, and this time Ron Paul was the clear winner, with more than 54% support.
- Ron Paul 54.4%
- Rick Santorum 15.6%
- Rick Perry 13.3%
- Newt Gingrich 11.9%
- Mitt Romney 4.2%
- Jon Huntsman 0.5%
In a separate ballot for candidates seeking the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat of Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Ted Cruz outdistanced all opponents with 48% in the straw poll and 49% in the text poll.
