Senator Rand Paul Wins NE Presidential Straw Poll

Congratulations to Senator Rand Paul for his presidential straw poll victory over the weekend at the Northeast Republican Leadership Conference. Paul edged out northeasterner and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie 15% to 13% at the Nashua, NH event.

The win comes on the heels of a convincing win by Paul at the Conservative Political Action Conference and shows he has some real mojo going on outside of the beltway.

Paul’s win is even more impressive at the NH event since he did so with no presence there. The win shows that he does have some real upside opportunity in what is generally considered a more liberally-minded Northeast.

DC political pundits may be surprised by how well Paul can really do in the region. They should do so at their own peril, though.

One of Paul’s ideas – economic freedom zones, or areas of reduced taxes – strikes a chord here in the northeast. One doesn’t have to look far to see where a similar program has just been implemented. New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has started a comparable program in his home state to much fanfare.

With Paul slated to make some stops in New England in April, it appears that the northeasterners will have a good opportunity to connect with Paul and directly hear his message in the near future.