STORY HIGHLIGHTS <\/p>\n
National Harbor, Maryland (CNN) -- It would be a mistake to read too much into the speeches, breakout sessions and late-night parties that took place at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. <\/p>\n
Thousands of right-leaning activists made the pilgrimage here this year, to a convention hall outside the nation's capital. They were greeted, as they are every year, by a bevy of candidates, bloggers, political operatives and more than a few hucksters out to make a buck. <\/p>\n
But it's tough to glean any sweeping insight into the state of the conservative movement just by hanging out at CPAC for a few days and talking to its most rock-ribbed and outspoken partisans. <\/p>\n
And yet: The confluence of big name Republican speakers -- many of them potential White House contenders -- makes the three-day event impossible to ignore. <\/p>\n
CPAC crowd chants, 'Run, Sarah, run!' <\/p>\n
Here are five big takeaways from CPAC 2014: <\/p>\n
1. This is Rand's house: Rand Paul's blowout win in the presidential straw poll Saturday -- he won more than a third of the vote, easily besting second-place finisher Ted Cruz -- cemented his place as the King of CPAC. <\/p>\n
Rand Paul convincingly wins CPAC straw poll <\/p>\n
Paul's address here on Friday, unapologetically heavy with libertarian sentiment, was far and away the best-received speech of the weekend. The room was packed and Paul, wearing jeans, was interrupted repeatedly by standing ovations. After his appearance, he joined his wife, Kelley, across the street from the convention center at a packed restaurant for an open bar happy hour with fired-up supporters. <\/p>\n
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5 things we learned from CPAC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STORY HIGHLIGHTS National Harbor, Maryland (CNN) -- It would be a mistake to read too much into the speeches, breakout sessions and late-night parties that took place at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Thousands of right-leaning activists made the pilgrimage here this year, to a convention hall outside the nation's capital. They were greeted, as they are every year, by a bevy of candidates, bloggers, political operatives and more than a few hucksters out to make a buck Continue reading