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Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll, Followed by Herman Cain, Rick Santorum
Texas Rep. Ron Paul won the Values Voter Summit presidential straw poll Saturday. (AP Photo)

Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll, Followed by Herman Cain, Rick Santorum

Texas Rep. Ron Paul won the Values Voter Summit presidential straw poll by a healthy margin Saturday, followed by Herman Cain and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Paul received 37 percent of the vote, Cain got 23 percent and Santorum netted 16 percent.

Perhaps surprisingly, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann tied for fourth place, each receiving 8 percent of the vote at the social conservative conference held in Washington, D.C.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in fifth place with 4 percent of the vote, followed by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich with 3 percent. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman placed last with 0 percent.

Paul wove many biblical references into his Saturday speech at the summit, and equated wars with the destruction of the family, USA Today reported.

"Wars generally lead to inflation, the destruction of money," Paul said. "We invite this idea that we can spend endlessly and we can print the money, and literally it undermines the family and undermines the economic system. When you lose a job, it's harder to keep the family together."

One of the dominating news stories to emerge from the Values Voter Summit was Perry supporter Pastor Robert Jeffress' comments that Romney belongs to a "cult" because he is Mormon. Perry distanced himself from the remarks, and radio host Bill Bennett delivered a sharp rebuke of Jeffress' comments during his own speech.

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