TWT polls: Conservatives pick Rubio as VP favorite - Washington Times

TWT polls: Conservatives pick Rubio as VP favorite - Washington Times

CHICAGO — Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a rapidly rising Republican star, emerged this weekend as the clear favorite of conservative activists to be the GOP vice-presidential nominee, according to two polls sponsored by The Washington Times.

Conservative activists meeting at the Conservative Leadership Conference in Las Vegas and at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Chicago both said Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, still needs to work on shoring up his conservative credentials, and Mr. Rubio was the top choice for running mate.

In The Washington Times-CLC poll in Nevada, which was released Sunday, Mr. Rubio was the pick of about 28 percent of activists, while in a broader survey, The Washington Times-CPAC poll taken in Chicago, Mr. Rubio was the choice of 30 percent.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who wowed the more than 2,000 attendees in Chicago with biting humor at the expense of President Obama and congressional Democrats, placed second with 14 percent, while in Las Vegas, Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, was runner-up with 18 percent of the vote.