McCotter Places Third in New Hampshire Straw Poll

Long-shot GOP presidential aspirant Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan placed third in yesterday’s New Hampshire Young Republicans Straw Poll in New Castle.  It was McCotter’s strongest showing in any straw poll to date.

The folksy, guitar-playing Michigan representative, who will turn 46 on Monday, received 8 percent of the vote, tying Texas Gov. Rick Perry for third-place honors.

Texas congressman Ron Paul, who’s waging his third campaign for the White House — his second as a Republican — and who came within 152 votes of defeating Michele Bachmann in last weekend’s widely-watched Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, was a clear winner in yesterday’s lobster-themed straw poll, garnering 45 percent of the 302 votes cast while defeating runner-up Mitt Romney by 35 percentage points.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson finished fifth in the 12-candidate field with 6 percent of the vote.  Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, who recently moved to New Hampshire and plans to campaign full-time in the Granite State in advance of next year’s first-in-the-nation primary, polled 3 percent among the young GOP activists — only two points behind Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann.

Saturday’s straw poll drew approximately 350 participants.