(03/08/12) -

Half of Republicans Want Gingrich and Paul to Drop Out of 2012 Race

More than half of Americans—and GOP supporters—think the party has been hurt by the long campaign.

Many Americans believe the primary season may be detrimental for the Republican Party, and half of respondents—and GOP supporters—believe two of the four remaining United States presidential hopefuls should end their campaigns, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,016 American adults, 54 per cent of respondents think the long process to choose a presidential nominee will hurt the Republican Party.

In addition, three-in-five Americans (63%) believe none of the four remaining Republican presidential hopefuls is a particularly attractive option, a view shared by 41 per cent of GOP supporters.

Two-thirds of Americans (65%) say they have learned more about the Republican Party’s presidential hopefuls and their policies throughout the course of the primaries.

Americans appear to be gearing up for a two-man race for the GOP nomination, with a majority of respondents calling for Mitt Romney (64%) and Rick Santorum (54%) to carry on campaigning until the Republican convention. Conversely, 53 per cent of Americans (and 59% of GOP supporters) believe Ron Paul should drop out of the race. As far as Newt Gingrich, 57 per cent of Americans—and 50 per cent of Republicans—believe he should also suspend his campaign for the presidential nomination.

There has been some talk recently about the possibility of a brokered convention if no Republican Party presidential hopeful secures a majority of the delegates at stake. Almost half of Americans (46%) and Republicans (49%) say they would be uncomfortable with the GOP nominating a presidential candidate who did not run in the primaries or caucuses.

Respondents were also asked if seven persons who decided not to run for president in 2012 would be better choices for the White House than the four remaining GOP hopefuls. One-in-four Americans (23%) think former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be preferable to Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul.

Fewer Americans think former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (14%), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (also 14%), real estate entrepreneur Donald Trump (13%), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (13%), former Vice President Dick Cheney (5%) and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (also 5%) would be better choices than the four remaining contenders.

Among GOP supporters, Giuliani (24%), Palin (also 24%) and Christie (21%) perform better on this question.

Analysis

A majority of Americans—and Republicans—believe the lengthy campaign to select the GOP presidential nominee could end up causing damage to the party. While the efforts of Romney and Santorum are still highly regarded by the population at large, most Americans—of all political stripes—believe it is time for Paul and Gingrich to step aside.

The idea of a consensus candidate who would be anointed at the convention floor is not palatable for Americans or Republicans, as most say they would be uncomfortable with a presidential nominee who did not take part in primaries or caucuses.

Some of the names that have been discussed recently as possible figures in a brokered convention are not regarded as superior presidential material by the population as a whole, and in the case of Giuliani and Palin, only impress one-in-four Republican supporters.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From March 7 to March 8, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,016 randomly selected 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.