(04/26/11) -

U.S. Republicans Prefer Huckabee and Romney for 2012 Race

Donald Trump is seen as a good choice for the presidency by two-in-five GOP voters, as support for Sarah Palin drops.

Two former governors remain well positioned to seek the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2012, but an entrepreneur who has never been elected to office in the United States is also seen as a reasonable alternative, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,004 American adults, about three-in-ten respondents believe former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (29%), real estate entrepreneur Donald Trump (28%), former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (27%), and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (27%) would make a good president.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is fifth on the list with 21 per cent, followed by Texas Representative Ron Paul (16%) and former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich (15%).

Huckabee is regarded as a good choice for the White House by a majority of GOP supporters (53%), with Romney a close second (48%). The only other contenders that garner the backing of at least one third of Republican voters at this point are Trump (43%), Palin (42%), Giuliani (39%) and Gingrich (32%).

Trends

Since July 2010, the proportion of Republican Party supporters who regard Palin as a potential good president has fallen by nine points (from 51% to 42%). Two other possible candidates experienced a drop in backing from GOP voters since the last survey: Giuliani (-9) and Gingrich (-10). Conversely, there is an increase in the scores posted by Paul (+8) and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (+6).

Five new names were added to the list of prospective contenders for the latest survey, with Trump having the best showing by far at 28 per cent nationally and 43 per cent among GOP voters. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (26%) fared better than eight other possible nominees, including Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

Methodology: From April 20 to April 21, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,004 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.