Republicans attending CPAC on Saturday in Dallas sent a clear message to their party’s one-time presidential nominee: we don’t want you anymore.
According to Fox News, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was one of the candidates listed on this year’s CPAC Texas straw poll ballot, but when the results were read on Saturday from the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Romney didn’t secure any recorded support in the influential Poll. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump led the field with 69 percent of the vote of attendees, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 20 percent. While Romney has established himself as an opponent of Trump and has feuded with conservative lawmakers and leaders in recent years, the result on Saturday still marks a stark contrast from Romney’s former popularity among conservatives.
Prior to Romney’s victory in the 2012 Republican presidential primary, the former Massachusetts Governor-turned-Utah Senator won the CPAC Straw Poll in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2012. He also finished second in the straw poll in 2010 and 2011, behind former Texas Congressman Ron Paul. At his peak in the poll, Romney claimed the support of 38 percent of CPAC attendees.
Now, without any support in the poll, it is clear that conservatives have moved on from Romney. It marks one of the most incredible declines for a politician within their own movement in decades.