U.S. Sen. Rand Paul delivers the keynote speech at the Dallas GOP "Reagan Day" event on Friday, January 30, 2015.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul delivers the keynote speech at the Dallas GOP "Reagan Day" event on Friday, January 30, 2015. Laura Buckman

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll Saturday, his third victory in as many years.

This year he carried 26 percent of the vote. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz placed third, with 11.5 percent, while former Gov. Rick Perry came in 11th, with 1.1 percent.

Both Paul and Cruz openly campaigned at the event. Cruz volunteers distributed custom-made buttons that said “Cruz Crew.” Perry had a smaller get-out-the-vote operation at the conference. 

The contest comes after three days of speeches from presidential contenders and noteworthy conservative activists. On Thursday, Cruz touted his battles within the GOP, while Perry attacked President Obama on foreign policy.

Abby Livingston joined The Texas Tribune in 2014 as the publication's first Washington bureau chief, and departed August 2022. In this role, she covered members in the Texas congressional delegation and...