Posted on 11/29/2014 7:12:51 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Republican voters nationwide look towards 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney to get back in the game for 2016, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday.
Voters give the former Massachusetts governor the top rank at 19 percent in an early glimpse of the 2016 presidential race. Romney continues to insist he will not seek the White House for a third time.
With Romney out of the race, however, former Gov. Jeb Bush leads with 14 percent, followed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 11 percent. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a conservative Tea Party favorite, gets 9 percent, while U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky gets 8 percent. Another 19 percent remain undecided.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the person to beat in the Democratic field, getting 57 percent of voters, followed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts at 13 percent; Vice President Joe Biden takes 9 percent; 14 percent are undecided.
If Clinton does not run, polling shows Biden gets 34 percent, followed by Warren, who receives 25 percent.
In hypothetical matchups, Clinton falls behind Romney by 1 point, and is five points or less ahead of Christie (43 to 42 percent), Wisconsin’s Rep. Paul Ryan (46 to 42 percent), former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (46 to 41 percent) and Paul (46 to 41 percent). Clinton also bests Texas Sen. Ted Cruz by 11 points (48 to 37 percent).
Polling this early in the race, is not much of a predictor, but it does give some insight about what is going on right now.
One key takeaway from the early polling numbers is that both the mainstream and right-wing media put candidates such as Paul and Cruz on the fringe, often in the single digits. There is little reason (at this stage) to consider either a front-runner or even an “A-list” contender.
Right now, the top three on the GOP bench are Romney (unlikely to run), Bush and Christie. Here, it is mostly due to name recognition, and these numbers downplay claims that “establishment” Republicans are in disfavor. Keep in mind that many “establishment” Republicans just won Senate races.
Ben Carson may get 9 percent, but he seems to be moving along the lines of a Herman Cain.
Another interesting trend is that each of the match-ups give Clinton no more than 46 percent, except in a race against Cruz. Any Democrat with his or her salt should get at least 47 to 48 percent of the vote, but not Clinton, who enjoys universal name recognition. This proves that impressions of Clinton run deep with voters, and are probably not going to change.
Clinton’s favorability stands at 50 percent, with 45 percent taking an unfavorable view of her; only 3 percent did not have enough information to make a decision. Those numbers once again prove her widespread name recognition.
As for Republicans, Bush is barely above water with a 33 positive to 32 percent negative, and Cruz languishes in the bottom with 29 percent negative and only 21 percent positive. All the rest are in positive territory.
As Clinton is the recognizable brand, most of the GOP candidates are relatively unknown. They need to get the word out to the electorate, particularly with the “haven’t heard enough” crowd, who range from 27 percent for Christie to 49 percent for Cruz.
Polling shows the Tea Party is beginning to fall out of favor with voters, receiving a negative 27 to 45 percent favorable. Democrats get a negative 35 to 54 percent favorable, and Republicans have a negative 38 to 49 percent positive score.
There is one other scenario, where at least one of the top contenders decides not to run. In that case, add another 10 percent of the non-candidate’s support to whomever will ultimately run. For example, a Christie voter would lean more to Bush than Cruz or another of the “fringe” (for now) candidates.
Polling shows the Tea Party is beginning to fall out of favor with voters, receiving a negative 27 to 45 percent favorable.
The media is at it again. Trying to pick our nominee. Sadly, the GOPe will see these numbers and think they can marginalize conservatives again by ignoring their true base of the party and doubling down on Jeb Bush. The left wants Bush to run because they know he’s beatable and they know full well the country doesn’t want a third member of the Bush dynasty in the White House. The left understands our party better than wimpy establishment people on our side.
It’s easy to dismiss this, but it was barely two years ago the national GOP primary electorate made Romney our nominee, so I am not going to believe they’re too smart to vote for Jeb Bush.
How does anybody feel about Rudy Giuliani? Not that I think he is running.
It’s way too early for them to be polling, but one thing’s for sure. The RINOs always “stand by their man.” We have to unite early and pick ONE conservative to vote for. The RINOs always win with divide and conquer. Romney, Dole, et al.
A total Crock of BS. Newsmax had a poll Cruz led, next Romney, Carson who they push at Newsmax did OK, but Christie, Bush, Paul and Rubio did lousy.
Any poll that says the TEA Party has lost its base ignores the Party of NO won big. I see the Tea Party as the catalyst behind the election. Tea agenda against Obama is much more than what GOPe says.
People want Obamacare stopped, border closed, Keystone passed, NSA out of out emails and telephone calls. Economics, we want repatriation of overseas cash, smaller government, less regulations, lower corporate and cap gains taxes.
We want people in IRS, F&F, Benghazi, held responsible.
Conservatives need to coalesce behind one conservative, time to not let 30 percent liberal GOP pic the candidate because we run 8 people vs. their 1 candidate.
How could Jeb be so high. No way.
At the latest mid-term elections all the polling companies were way off.
Quinnipiac Polls were not correct even in polling their own State of Connecticut.
Ignore.
Who the heck are these people polling?
I do not know anyone that calls themselves a Republican that wants Romney back in and sure as hell no one that wants Christie or J Bush...
A poll today for the 2016 election has about as much meaning as any promise that Obama makes...
Totally meaningless....
The GOPe will run a Midwestern governor... With a minority VP...
I certainly hope Cruz stays put in the Senate...
He cannot win a national election in this day and age....
Why not include McCain in to the poll? He has as much chance of getting elected as Romney or Jeb Bush.
Hell throw Bob Dole in there too. He’s rested and ready.
Whatever makes you think that?
Each other.
——[Cruz] cannot win a national election in this day and age....-——
First let say; I’d vote for Cruz in a heartbeat for POTUS....
The fact is he is way to conservative for a majority of the brain dead voters who doesn’t understand the way the country was founded....
The FSA and getsmedat coalition will never vote for him....
Plus the libtard slime machine will go into high gear with the MSM as willing sycophants to demonize, marginalize, smear, character assassinate him to the point of no return....in other words they fear him....
He should’ve run for Governor of NY. Otherwise he’s simply too liberal.
Yeah, they sure dominated the voting in 2014.
Plus the libtard slime machine will go into high gear with the MSM as willing sycophants to demonize, marginalize, smear, character assassinate him to the point of no return....
As if they wouldn't do the same to Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush.
Fact is that, after six years of Obama, the electorate has seen what the left will do if given the chance. Whoever the GOP nominates in 2016 will win. And likely win big.
Accordingly, the enemy that must be defeated for Cruz to become President is not the gibsmedats nor the MSM. It's the GOP-E.
44 - 42 percent for Romney; (+2/14 UD)
38 - 33 percent for Christie; (+5/29 UD)
33 - 32 percent for Bush; (+1/35 UD)
36 - 28 percent for Ryan; (+8/36 UD)
36 - 29 percent for Huckabee; (+7/35 UD)
35 - 26 percent for Paul; (+9/39 UD)
21 - 29 percent for Cruz. (-8/50 UD)
Paul is the most favorably-viewed Republican, while simultaneously one of the lesser-known ones.
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