New Poll Shows Mike Huckabee Strongest GOP Opponent Against Obama in 2012
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 21, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new poll shows pro-life former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee faring the best against pro-abortion President Barack Obama in a preview of the 2012 presidential election. Mitt Romney is second best in terms of the percentage lead Obama has, while New Gingrich places third.
The new survey from the Public Policy Polling firm doesn’t measure the percentage of Republicans who favor a particular candidate.
Instead, it measured how four different potential Republican nominees fare against Obama among all voters.
The poll found Huckabee behind by just three percentage points, 47-44 percent.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, was seven percent behind Obama at 47-44 percent while Gingrich, the pro-life former Speaker of the House, came in eight percent behind Obama at 49-41 percent.
Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential candidate who recently stepped down as Alaska’s governor, was 14 percent behind at 52-38.
“Mike Huckabee has received a lot less attention in the context of 2012 than Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney,” said Dean Debnam of PPP. “But he’s quietly, at this very early stage, emerging as the strongest GOP alternative to Barack Obama.”
The PPP survey also shows Huckabee with the best favorable ratings of the group of four candidates, which does not include potential pro-life presidential candidates like governors Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty and Haley Barbour.
Huckabee has a 45-28 percent approval to disapproval rating, Romney has a 37-34 percent rating, Gingrich a 33-42 percent rating and Palin a 40-49 percent rating.
Huckabee receives positive favorability ratings in every income group, while Palin receives negative ratings in every income group, except lower-income voters.
Last month’s survey had found Obama leading Huckabee by 6, Palin and Gingrich by 8, and Romney by 9.
PPP conducted a national survey of 909 voters from August 14th to 17th. The survey’s margin of error is +/-3.3%.
Various polls conducted during the first several months of the year show that Palin, Huckabee and Romney are the top three leaders among Republicans for now.
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