Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won the presidential straw poll at the Values Voter Summit for the third year in a row on Saturday, cementing his position as the favorite of social conservatives in the Republican presidential field, NBC News reported.
Cruz drew 35 percent support among the nearly 1,200 attendees that voted in the straw poll, while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson took second with 18 percent support and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came in third with 14 percent support.
The only other candidate in the field to draw more than 100 votes was Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who placed fourth with 13 percent support.
As much as the straw poll handed a predictable win to Cruz, it offered a notable rebuke to two of the field's top contenders: businessman Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
