The CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) straw poll, which traditionally occurs on the final day of the annual conference hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU), is the subject of great anticipation every year. The informal poll is “widely seen as an indicator of the conservative grassroots’ favored presidential candidate,” according to PR Newswire.
With the absolute dumpster fire in the nation’s capital since the Biden Collective’s installation in the White House, this year’s CPAC straw poll is especially exciting. President Biden is roundly disliked and regarded negatively by a solid majority of American voters, and citizens are chomping at the bit to take out the trash and install a real president in 2024.
I’ve been in attendance at this year’s CPAC since Thursday, and the atmosphere is fabulous and charged with positive energy. The two names on the tip of everyone’s tongue are Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis and former president Donald J. Trump. Both alpha males made an appearance at the conference, and both delivered outstanding speeches. DeSantis and Trump each delivered remarks that would be perfectly effective stump speeches in 2024.
The impression I’ve gotten from speaking with CPAC 2022 attendees is that conservatives would be perfectly happy to see either Gov. DeSantis or former President Trump be the GOP standard-bearer in the 2024 presidential election. People love Trump as fervently as ever and his great MAGA work will clearly always be revered. Most conservatives also understand that Trump’s habitually caustic, confrontational style can be a liability. But everyone also would love to see the proven leader take his revenge against the politicized establishment institutions, which falsely persecuted him (and cheated his voters), by being re-elected in 2024.