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Nearly 6 in 10 GOP voters unhappy with presidential field headed into NH primary
Nearly 6 in 10 Republicans say they would like more options for their party's presidential nomination heading into New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, a troubling sign for GOP leaders worried about maintaining enthusiasm for the 2012 general election.
Fifty-eight percent of Republican primary voters disapprove of the GOP candidates for president, according to a new poll by CBS News, while just 37 percent say they are satisfied with the current slate of candidates. Five percent of voters said they were unsure.
And while current GOP front0runner Mitt Romney leads the pack of Republican candidates in the national poll, he does so with just 19 percent — the same number of respondents as said their top candidate was someone not in the field, and good for just a four-percentage-point lead over Newt Gingrich.
Romney's core of support comes instead from the 47 percent of voters who say it's more important to nominate a candidate who can win in 2012, rather than one with whom they agree on policy. Romney is the choice of nearly half of voters when asked who is most electable.
Still, the CBS polling numbers paint a troubling picture for Republicans looking to take back the White House in 2012, who know doing so is predicated on strong turnout from the conservative base. Nevertheless, GOP leaders might be heartened by a strong Republican bench of would-be candidates — including Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, Mitch Daniels, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Bob McDonnell and Haley Barbour — whom voters continue to pine for.
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