Texas Senator Ted Cruz edged out neurosurgeon Ben Carson to take the top spot in the presidential straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Senator Rand Paul finished a distant 3rd. The Tally via Breitbart: 1. Ted Cruz — 30.33 percent 2. Ben Carson — 29.38 percent 3. Rand Paul — 10.43 percent 4. Mike Huckabee — 5.06 percent 5. Rick Perry — 4.90 percent 6. Curt Clawson (write-in) 4.58 percent 7. Jeb Bush — 4.42 percent 8. Marco Rubio — 3.32 percent 9. Rick Santorum — 2.37 percent 10. Paul Ryan — 2.05 percent 11. Allen West (write-in) — 2.05 percent 12. Chris Christie — 1.11%   Not a crowd eager to embrace moderates.   Cruz helped his cause with a rousing speech just before voting began:   As for Cruz, he received rockstar treatment at the semi-annual gathering of conservative Southern activists. In the morning, he headlined a...(Read Full Post)