Politics & Government

John Kuhn Wins FreedomWorks Straw Poll

Attorney easily outpaces the field.

No public polling has been done so far for either party in the race for the First Congressional District.

But in the wake of Saturday's FreedomWorks Forum, organizers took a straw poll before and after the event. The results are a bit of a surprise.

John Kuhn, who has not been thought of as a top-tier candidate, finished well ahead of the pack, with 35 percent of the vote. Mark Sanford was second, and Ray Nash third. Keith Blandford, who also was not previously thought of as a strong contender, finished fourth with eleven percent.

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Blandford was also the top choice as a second preference.

But the most striking takeaway from the poll might be Chip Limehouse's popularity or lack thereof. 81 percent of those polled did not want to see him as the GOP nominee.

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See the complete results here.

Question 1:  If the Congressional election were held today, which candidate would you vote for?

1. John Kuhn 35%
2. Mark Sanford 19%
3. Ray Nash 14%
4. Keith Blandford 11%

Question 2: Who is your second choice?

1. Keith Blandford 20%
1. Ray Nash 20%
3. Larry Grooms 17%
4. Mark Sanford 13%

Question 3: Who would you least like to see as the Republican nominee?

1. Chip Limehouse 81%
2. Mark Sanford 6%
3. Larry Grooms 3%
3. John Kuhn 3%

Candidates were also given a questionnaire of 20 items before the forum. The questions were administered by the Tea Parties of Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head; the 9/12 Project Groups of Mount Pleasant, Moncks Corner, Goose Creek, Summerville, and the Lowcountry 9/12 / Citizens in Action; SC Fair Tax, the Republican Liberty Caucus, and the Citadel Republican Society.

See the top finishers overall and by individual question here.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of South Carolina has been running a poll on its website since Jan. 27. See those results here.

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