Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R) has won the 2012 presidential primary straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, a somewhat surprising result that reflects a concerted effort among his supporters to influence the vote. Here are the final results:

Paul 31
Romney 22
Palin 7
Pawlenty 6
Pence 5
Gingrich 4
Huckabee 4
Daniels 2
Santorum 2
Thune 2
Barbour 1
Other 5
Und 6

The result was a surprise to the crowd gathered here Saturday night. When Paul was announced as the winner, many booed. Romney's second-place showing drew a loud cheer.

The Campaign For Liberty, an offshoot of Paul's 2008 presidential campaign, has been a visible presence all weekend at the conference. Before the results were announced, a CPAC staffer emphasized that there was no official promotion of the vote (though some speakers mentioned it). And fewer than 25 percent of those who attended the event actually voted. Last year, about 1,700 cast ballots.

Mitt Romney won the 2009 straw poll with 20 percent of the vote. Paul finished third last year with 13 percent.

Some other findings from the survey:
-- 54 percent of those who voted were age 18-25. The next-largest block was 26-40 year olds, at 19 percent
-- 53 percent say they wish the GOP had a better field of candidates, while 46 percent In total, 2,395 ballots were cast all day Thursday and part of the day Friday. Nearly half of the participants were students.
-- 62 percent approve of the job Republicans in Congress are doing, while 37 percent disapprove. Only 2 percent approve of President Obama's job performance.
-- Sen. Jim DeMint has the highest favorable rating (73 percent), followed by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (70 percent). The GOP's Congressional leadership is in the 50s (Boehner 56, McConnell 51). RNC Chair Michael Steele has a net-negative favorable rating (42/44).
-- Reducing the size of the federal government is identified as the top concern of voters, followed by reducing government spending, the war on terrorism, and lowering taxes.
-- 33 percent think the GOP will gain 40 or more seats in Congress and retake control of the House. 24 percent think they'll win 20-29 seats, while 20 percent think they'll win 30-39 percent.

You can see the full breakdown here.

A final note: the sense that Paul supporters flooded the vote will lead other Republican presidential water-testers to easily discount the results. A straw poll that will be conducted at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this April in New Orleans will be taken much more seriously among those involved with and eagerly watching the presidential sweepstakes.

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