NRLC 2015: Walker Tops in Straw Poll

Many have pointed to the rise of the Northeast Republican, as a good sign for a Republican victory in 2016, citing the success of Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Paul LePage in Maine, among others.  While it remains to be seen what impact they will have on the electoral count when it matters, many let their opinions be heard at last week's Northeast Republican Leadership Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

And had he attended NRLC, Jeb Bush would not have liked what he had heard.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

Thought he skipped NRLC for the "Road to Majority" Conference, Fl. Sen. Marco Rubio was the pick of many at the conference in Philadelphia

More than 600 "party leaders" from across 20 states attended the Conference and heard from announced Presidential hopefuls like Carly Fiorina and Rick Santorum, as well as some un-announced, undecided candidates-in-waiting like Scott Walker and Chris Christie, among other influential and intelligent speakers on a myriad of issues.  

And, like most conferences, it all culminated in a "Straw Poll" to test the pulse of the crowd. In what should have been a crowd that favored moderate candidates, the "top 5" released by the conference's organizers, the Pennsylvania GOP, is not shocking in who is listed so much as in what order they are listed - here it is:

Scott Walker – 25.3%

Chris Christie – 11.6%
Marco Rubio – 11.0%
Rick Santorum – 9.6%
Jeb Bush – 9.6%

Clearly, the attendance of Walker and Christie at NRLC2015 buoyed their prospects in the poll - they each hosted receptions at the conference - while Bush's non-appearance may have played into his dismal outcome.  PA's own Rick Santorum clearly still has a following among his former constituents in the Keystone State, tying the former Florida governor. 

The result skew far from the NBC/Wall Street Journal survey, where Bush is the first choice with 22% of GOP primary voters polled,  putting him ahead of Scott Walker (17%), Marco Rubio (14%), and Ben Carson (11%).

However, the "big winner" here could be Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who had zero presence or representation at the conference and still managed to break double-digits, and who remains strong in the polls nationwide.

Tune in this week to Behind Enemy Lines, where we'll be talking more about NRLC as well as bring you our interview with RNC Deputy Press Director Raffi Williams, who lays out the "Road to 2016" quite well for our listeners.  

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About Gene Berardelli, Esq.

To learn more about the author, check out the "About Us" page. Behind Enemy Lines Radio is a national Award-Winning radio show / podcast broadcasting live out of the belly of the Democratic beast - "The People's Republic of" New York City that airs on multiple radio stations as part of the Talk America Radio Network. It is also an "Insider" column on Newsmax featuring show hosts Gene Berardelli and Russell Gallo. The show is also available on multiple networks across the internet, with more being added regularly.