GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich emerged as the favorite among party faithful, according to a straw poll at Saturday's fundraising dinner.
Gingrich bested Herman Cain, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry -- other top Republican candidates for the White House -- with 55 percent of the vote, a party official reported. About 200 votes were cast.
The Hall of Fame dinner, an annual GOP fundraiser that was closed to the media, featured Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's attorney general. None of the candidates appeared at the event.
The straw poll is virtually meaningless -- an unscientific sampling of the state Republican Party -- but reflects the momentum Gingrich is carrying after Cain, the former frontrunner, continued to stumble.
In other straw poll contests, Dan Forest beat Tony Gurley in lieutenant governor balloting.
