Huckabee Wins South Carolina County GOP Straw Poll

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has won a 2012 GOP presidential straw poll in the key early primary state of South Carolina.

Huckabee topped the York County Republican Party poll Saturday with 23 percent of first-choice votes according to the party, followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 11 percent and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann at 10 percent.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney garnered eight percent of the 152 votes cast; Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Donald Trump each won seven percent.

The rest of field--including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum--earned between one and four percent of the vote.

Half of the 149 convention attendees who voted on the issues ballot said that reducing government spending and reducing the size of government were the biggest concerns going into 2012.