Rand Paul Leading Conservative Poll for 2016!

Rand Paul is a emerging as the leader, not just of the libertarian wing, but of the conservative wing of the Republican Party:

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is leading an online poll being conducted by Contract From America as the conservative pick for president in 2016.

With 190,000 votes cast as of Monday morning, Paul leads, with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio rounding out the top three. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are running in last place, ranked 32 and 31 respectively.

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Hecker said that in 2012, the CFA poll had then-Rep. Ron Paul running in the lower third of the Republican primary field, which, while generally accurate with primary results, was "atypical for online polls" that usually gave Paul landslide victories.

Hecker said that Rand Paul was the clear favorite from day one of the poll, even before the senator's dramatic filibuster last week, but "given Rand Paul's passionate performance … it's understandable that the base is so supportive of him."

"What that says to me is that Rand Paul has a much higher ceiling [of support] than his father did," Hecker said.