Poll: Ron Paul Popular, But Unelectable

Rep. Ron Paul has done well in multiple national polls, and won a couple of early straw polls, but his GOP candidacy does not have legs.

That's according to this week's HuffPo/Patch Power Outsiders poll, which surveyed 190 influential conservatives in the early primary/caucus states of South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said Paul takes a stand on issues with which they agree. But only 21 percent said that he could beat President Barack Obama in the general election and 14 percent believe he can win the Republican nomination.

Only 28 percent of respondents, when asked to give one word to describe Paul, provided a positive word. More than one-third of responses provided a negative word. The remainder of responses were neutral.