While U.S. Rep. Ron Paul’s name was often unmentioned among the top-tier Republicans running for president, the Libertarian Texas congressman made a splash in Illinois over the weekend. Rep. Paul was the winner of the first-ever statewide presidential straw poll in Illinois. The congressman won 52 percent of the vote. Illinois Republican Party chair Pat Brady announced the straw poll results Saturday night. More than 3,600 people paid a $5 fee to cast a ballot, mostly online. Some folks cast paper ballots at about two dozen locations around the state. WBEZ’s political reporter, Sam Hudzik, went to a few of those locations, and he joined Eight Forty-Eight to share his findings.