Rep. Michele Bachmann won the first Women’s Presidential Straw Poll, held at the Smart Girl Summit in St. Louis, Missouri this weekend.
Herman Cain, who spoke at the event, closely trailed Bachmann, finishing in a strong second place.
The ballot included Bachmann, Cain, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Gov. Gary Johnson, Congressman Thad McCotter, Congressman Ron Paul, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Gov. Mitt Romney.
“The overwhelming choice of Rep. Bachmann and Herman Cain in the First Women’s Presidential Straw Poll shows that conservative women demand a true conservative – one that believes in fiscal responsibility, in limited government, and that will stand up for the grassroots,” said Stacy Mott, founder of Smart Girl Politics.
Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin were not included on the ballot.
“Attendees had a difficult time casting their vote. Many were undecided, proving that candidates must communicate better with conservative women in order to win their support. Smart Girl Politics congratulates Rep. Bachmann and looks forward to the continued support and communication of all candidates with grassroots conservative women,” added Mott.
Only women were permitted to participate in the straw poll. In addition to selecting candidates, attendees were also queried about which issues were most important to them. Reducing spending and balancing the budget was, by far, the dominant issue selected.
Andrew Breitbart also made news at the event — publicly denouncing The American Conservative Union’s (ACU) decision not to invite the gay conservative group GOProud to co-sponsor CPAC next year.