The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States.

CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union Foundation (ACUF). More than 100 other organizations contribute in various ways. Human Events, the Young America's Foundation, and the National Rifle Association have been three of the most prominent cosponsors in recent years. CPAC has a full time staff of two people, conference director Lisa De Pasquale and an assistant.

The annual CPAC straw poll vote serves as a barometer for the feelings of the conservative movement. During the conference, attendees are encouraged to fill out a paper survey that asks questions on a variety of issues. The questions regarding the most popular possible presidential candidates are the most widely reported in both traditional and new media. An important component of CPAC is evaluating conservative candidates for president and the straw poll is the best known measurement of conservative reactions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Political_Action_Conference#Straw_poll
http://www.conservative.org/cpac/