Georgia businessman Herman Cain won Florida's Republican Party straw poll on Saturday, scoring a stunning upset against bigger names and better-funded candidates.
Busting open what had been narrowing to a two-man contest between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Cain boosted his prospects in Florida's crucial primary next year.
Cain grabbed 37 percent of the 2,657 votes cast at the Presidency 5 poll, far outdistancing his nearest opponents. Perry finished with 15.4 percent and Romney garnered 14 percent.
Rounding out the field were former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, 10.9 percent; U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, 10.4 percent; former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 8.4 percent; former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, 2.3 percent; and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, 1.5 percent.
In the run-up to the Presidency 5 summit, Perry and Romney garnered the lion's share of endorsements, and were widely considered the favorites. But neither candidate was on hand for Saturday's vote in Orlando.
Romney and Bachmann did not participate in the poll; Perry, Paul and Huntsman sent surrogates to speak to the convention.
In an afternoon full of speeches, Cain drew the loudest cheers. With the crowd roaring before he even took the stage, Cain strode to the podium amid strains of the tea party anthem, "I Am America."
"The American Dream is under attack," he declared in a ringing appeal for new leadership in the White House.
Denouncing President Obama and challenging fellow Republicans, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO and past board member of the Kansas City Federal Reserve offered "bold solutions, not just working around the margins."
Calling for abolition of the current federal tax system, which he branded "a mess we cannot fix," Cain urged cheering delegates to "send Washington a message. Help me put the 'United' back in the United States of America."
Gingrich characterized Obama as "the best Food Stamp president in American history. I would like to be the best paycheck president in American history."
Gingrich, who spent the morning breakfasting with conservatives in Miami, catered to the Orlando crowd when he mentioned U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as a possible running mate.
"The contrast between American common sense and liberal nonsense would be so big," Gingrich said of a matchup of Rubio versus Vice President Joe Biden.
And befitting his background as a historian, Gingrich said he would challenge Obama to "seven Lincoln/Douglas-style three-hour debates" with "no baloney from the news media."
Santorum called on delegates to back a candidate who can win and "can stand in the crucible in the toughest place -- Washington, D.C."
But Santorum, who scored debating points against Perry on Thursday, remains bogged down by the political baggage of losing his Senate seat after one term.
Michael Williams, Texas' former railroad commissioner, spoke for Perry, touting the governor's job-creating credentials while seeking to do damage control on the immigration issue that haunted Perry during Thursday's debate.
"There is no amnesty [for illegal aliens]. There are no handouts for a free college education," Williams said, referring to the Texas DREAM Act.
Mark Cross, speaking for Paul, attempted to burnish the congressman's anti-establishment (and occasionally antiparty) credentials.
Noting that Paul has won more elections than any rival candidate in the GOP field, Cross said the congressman ranks second in GOP fundraising and runs third in most national polls.
Huntsman, who has struggled to ply a more moderate path through a field of partisan conservatives, was represented by his wife, Mary Kaye, three daughters and a son-in-law.
Mary Kaye Huntsman, a native of Orlando, introduced a video that highlighted Jeb Bush Jr.'s endorsement and the family's Florida connections.
Before the poll, Romney spokesman Ryan Williams sought to lower expectations while raising them for his chief competitor by saying, "Perry should win it by a large margin. We respect the straw poll process, but our campaign is focused on winning primaries and caucuses."
On Perry's behalf, state Rep. Matt Gaetz suggested that Romney supporters who voted for Cain "skewed the results."
The straw poll tallied nearly 3,500 party delegates -- each of whom paid $175 for a seat at the Orange County Convention Center.
Several delegates expressed disappointment that only three of the eight candidates in the Fox debate spoke on Saturday. A ninth candidate in the Thursday debate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, did not qualify for the RPOF straw ballot.
"I wouldn't vote for anyone who didn't show," said a Seminole County delegate, who voted for Cain.
Though hardly scientific, the Florida results may be considered a better gauge of GOP sentiment than the Iowa straw ballot last month. In addition to being a larger and more diverse state, Florida did not allow candidates to "buy" support in the form of purchased delegate seats, as is done in Ames.
Bachmann, who won the Iowa vote, subsequently announced she would not participate in future straw polls.
Perry's lackluster performance at Thursday night's Fox-Google debate appeared to have eroded his support during P5. Some delegates who said they came to Orlando intending to vote for Perry were reconsidering their positions.
Talk of "protest votes" floated through the corridors of the Orange County Convention Center Saturday afternoon prior to the straw ballot.
"You can feel the buzz for Herman Cain," said Michael Hofstee, a delegate from St. Lucie County.
Cain, who drew rousing receptions at every P5 appearance, was endorsed Friday by Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, and several tea party activists said they were leaning toward the Georgian.
"I think it's kinda funny to watch people take their stickers for Perry off once they've gotten a free breakfast from him," Jennifer Sullivan tweeted after the Texas governor's complimentary feed at the Rosen Centre Saturday morning.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
