A total of 5,680 Yellowhammer readers voted in our first survey on the potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates, and just under 23 percent of them are currently backing Kentucky’s libertarian-leaning senator Rand Paul.
The results are far from scientific, but may give some interesting insight into the current thinking of the Republican base in The Yellowhammer State.
Paul has so far managed to maintain the libertarian base of support his father enjoyed during multiple presidential runs, while also expanding his reach to more traditional conservatives. Paul’s father, a former Texas congressman, only received 2.68 percent of the vote in Alabama’s Republican presidential primary in 2008, and 4.97 in 2012.
Conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas came in second in Yellowhammer’s poll at 13.47 percent, edging out former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by less than three-tenths of a point. Cruz remains popular among Tea Partiers in Alabama and around the country, and Huckabee is well-liked by the GOP’s evangelical base. He actually won Alabama’s 2008 Republican presidential primary with a very strong 41.25 percent of the vote.
Texas governor Rick Perry seems to have bounced back from his “oops” moment during the 2012 presidential race by traveling the country recruiting industry and touting the economic successes Texas has had under his leadership (Alabama beat him on Remington, though!). He garnered 10.83 percent of the vote in Yellowhammer’s survey, just ahead of current “establishment” favorite Jeb Bush.
The biggest surprise in the poll may be that former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum only got the support of 2 percent Yellowhammer readers, although he won Alabama’s 2012 presidential primary with 34.55 percent of the vote.
The full results of the survey can be found below, and you can still cast your vote HERE.
Rand Paul: 22.89%
Ted Cruz: 13.47%
Mike Huckabee: 13.20%
Rick Perry: 10.83%
Jeb Bush: 9.95%
Scott Walker: 6.78%
Bobby Jindal: 4.93%
Chris Christie: 4.84%
Paul Ryan: 4.75%
Marco Rubio: 4.75%
Rick Santorum: 2.02%
Mike Pence: 1.58%
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
