Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul has emerged as the winner in the straw poll conducted among conservative activists on Saturday.

The voting was conducted during the Conservative Political Action Conference, a gathering of activists in the outskirts of Washington.

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Paul, 52, took 25.7 percent of the total votes.

Analysts said the result of the straw poll boosted Paul's potential bid for the Republican nomination in 2016.

"The constitutional conservatives of our party have spoken in a loud and clear voice today. I plan on doing my part and I hope that you will join me as I continue to make the GOP (Grand Old Party) a bigger, better and bolder party," Paul said in a statement.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker came in second, gathering 21.4 percent of the votes from the Republican Conservatives. He was visibly among the most popular candidates in the event.

Walker's surprising show of strength makes political observers think he will have real staying power that will enable him to keep his slot among the presidential front-runners for the nomination.

The third place went to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, with 11.5 percent of the total votes.

A total of 3,007 Republican Conservatives cast their votes in the CPAC gathering.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush took the fourth rank, getting 8.3 percent of the vote.

The relatively poor performance of Bush in the straw vote was expected, given the opposition of many party members to some of his moderate views.

Boos were heard in the venue when the tally for Bush was announced.

Despite his lack of popularity among the conservatives, Bush is still the candidate who continues to amass millions of dollars for a campaign, should he decide to run later on.

The straw vote ends the four-day CPAC conference along the Potomac River.

Prior to the straw poll, the conservatives heard speeches delivered by dozen aspirants who are seeking the opportunity to represent the Republican Party in the November 2016 presidential elections.

TagsRepublicans, Rand Paul