(CNN) – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won a straw poll hosted by the Tea Party Patriots Sunday.
The Tea Party Patriots announced the results Monday following a conference call held late Sunday when more than 23,000 supporters across the country voted on their selection for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
“An overwhelming number of activists from around the nation showed they are serious about electing a candidate who advances tea party principles,” said National Coordinator Jenny Beth Martin.
But she added, “Just as in 2010, candidates like Newt Gingrich will need to show they will be fiscally responsible and protect the Constitution in the White House.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum all responded to questions selected by tea party coordinators that were provided to the candidates in advance.
Iowa Rep. Steve King prefaced candidate responses by observing, “I could make a perfect candidate out of the components” of contenders, but no perfect selection for the GOP nomination exists.
~~~ Following questions with the candidates, supporters were able to select their choice for the 2012 Republican nomination and rate their enthusiasm for each individual candidate as hypothetical nominee.
Gingrich received 31% support, followed by Bachmann at 28%, and Romney at 20%. Sixteen percent of participants voted for Santorum, 3% selected Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and less than one percent chose Huntsman.
Gingrich may have won the Tea Party Patriots straw poll, but was edged out for the enthusiasm vote amongst supporters. Just slightly more of the participants said they’d by extremely enthusiastic if Bachmann were the nominee over Gingrich at 36-35% –27% said they’d be extremely enthusiastic for Santorum, and one quarter said they’d be extremely enthusiastic if Romney secured the nomination for president.
As a side note, Politico differs on the “enthusiastic support” results…
The poll also asked participants to rank how enthusiastic they’d be about each possible GOP nominee. Gingrich won by that score, too, with 58 percent saying they’d be “enthusiastic” or “very enthusiastic,” followed by Bachmann (55 percent), Santorum (54 percent), Romney (50 percent), Perry (32 percent), Paul (6 percent) and Huntsman (5 percent).