A poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University had good news for former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. Not only was Romney leading the pack of hopefuls for the Republican presidential nomination, but he was also the only GOP hopeful not being beaten in double digits by President Barack Obama.
Romney led the Republican race with 25 percent. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, after a strong June, continued to show signs of momentum, taking second with 14 percent. Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who has left the door open to running, took third with 12 percent. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who is showing increased signs that he will enter the race, took fourth with 10 percent.
The rest of the field trailed in single digits. Businessman Herman Cain took 6 percent while former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas tied with 5 percent each. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota came next with 3 percent followed by former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania with 1 percent apiece. U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter of Michigan, who entered the race earlier in the month, took less than 1 percent.
The poll shows that Bachmann, who announced her campaign during a debate with the other hopefuls in New Hampshire back in June, continues to enjoy some momentum. In a poll unveiled by Quinnipiac on June 8, Bachmann stood in sixth place with 6 percent while Palin was second behind Romney.
"Governor Mitt Romney remains ahead of the GOP presidential pack as U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann has zoomed into second place," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "With almost a dozen candidates, and most of them not very well-known even to GOP activists, Governor Romney's lead remains. Governor Rick Perry, who is still a maybe candidate, breaks into double digits and runs fourth, an indication that he could be a serious contender should he run.
"The question about Representative Bachmann is whether she is the flavor of the month, like Donald Trump was for a while, or does she have staying power? asked Brown. Perhaps more than any of the other GOP contenders, Bachmann's fortunes may depend on whether Governors Palin or Perry get into the race. All three of them are likely to appeal to the GOP's tea party constituency."
Romney remains on top even if Perry and Palin are out of the mix. With Perry out, Romney took 28 percent with Bachmann in second at 16 percent and Palin in third with 13 percent. When Palin was taken out of the equation, Romney again took 28 percent with Bachmann in second at 16 percent and Palin in third with 13 percent.
"This would indicate that Romney and Bachmann would benefit most if Perry or Palin do not run," said Brown.
The poll had Obama beating the various Republicans. Only Romney trailed by single digits and kept the president under 50 percent. Obama topped Romney by 6 points, beating the Republican 47 percent to 41 percent. Obama led Bachmann by 12 points, Perry by 13 points and routed Palin by 19 points. But the poll had some bad news for the president: Only 47 percent of voters thought Obama deserved a second term, with the same percentage stating he did not.
The poll of 2,311 registered voters was taken from July 5-11 and had a margin of error of +/- 2 percent. This includes 913 Republican primary voters which had a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
