(05/01/12) -

Most Republicans in U.S. See Santorum, Jeb Bush as VP Material

Respondents perceive Al Gore as the best Vice President since 1974; Dick Ckeney deemed the worst.

Americans hold differing views on various politicians who have been mentioned as possible Vice Presidential nominees for the Republican Party in 2012, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,012 American adults also shows that Al Gore is regarded as the best recent Vice President, while Dick Cheney is considered the worst.

Romney’s Running Mate

Respondents in the United States were provided with the names of 15 politicians who have been mentioned as possible Vice Presidential nominees in a Republican ticket headlined by Mitt Romney.

Rick Santorum tops the list, with 46 per cent of Americans thinking he would be a “very good” or “good” Vice President, followed by Ron Paul with 42 per cent, Jeb Bush with 34 per cent, and Chris Christie with 33 per cent. Newt Gingrich, Marco Rubio and Sarah Palin are regarded as positive choices by three-in-ten Americans (30%).

The analysis of Republicans is decidedly different, with 70 per cent endorsing a Vice Presidential nod for Santorum, and 66 per cent feeling Jeb Bush would be a good running mate for Romney. Support is slightly lower for Gingrich (52%), Palin (50%), Christie and Paul (49% each), and Rubio (47%).

Among Independents, Santorum and Paul are tied with 42 per cent, but no other prospective GOP Vice Presidential nominee manages to get to 30 per cent.

Vice Presidents Past and Present

Respondents were asked about the last seven men to serve as Vice President. One-in-four Americans (25%) believe Al Gore has been the best Vice President since 1974, followed by George H. W. Bush with 20 per cent. Two Republicans top the list of the worst recent Vice Presidents: Dick Cheney (25%) and Dan Quayle (17%), followed by current U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (16%).

Across the United States, 44 per cent of respondents approve of the way Biden is handling his duties, while 39 per cent disagree. Independents are evenly split when assessing the current Vice President (Approve 40%, Disapprove 39%). Two thirds of Democrats approve of Biden, while two thirds of Republicans voice dissatisfaction.

Analysis

The notion of seeking a Vice Presidential nominee from the pool of defeated presidential contenders appears to be alive and well, with many Republicans focusing on Rick Santorum as the best person to accompany Romney in the GOP ticket. As far as the two key Floridians is concerned, Jeb Bush is currently a more popular choice with the Republican base than Marco Rubio.

Independents hold Ron Paul in great esteem, and Chris Christie ranks highly among Americans and GOP supporters, distancing himself from other figures such as Tim Pawlenty and Bobby Jindal.

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 April 25 to April 26, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,012 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.