Huckabee Again Tops Palin and Romney for Republican Presidential Nod in 2012
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 5, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Another new poll has pro-life former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee leading both former governors Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney for the 2012 Republican nomination to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Huckabee led the way in a previous poll sponsored by Rasmussen Reports.
The new Gallup survey, released today, asked Republicans to say whether they would like any of several potential presidential candidates.
Some 71 percent of Republicans say they would seriously consider voting for Huckabee while the same 65 percent say they would consider Romney or Palin, both of whom were pro-life candidates in 2008.
A majority of Republicans also say they would seriously consider voting for Newt Gingrich, but far fewer say they are currently ready to support the lesser-known Tim Pawlenty or Haley Barbour, all of whom are pro-life.
Just 25 percent of Republicans said they would not consider supporting Huckabee, compared with 31 percent who said that of Romney, 33 percent of Palin, 35 percent of Gingrich, and a larger 48 percent of Pawlenty and 52 percent of Barbour.
Among all Americans, the lineup is exactly the same with Huckabee leading Romney, Palin coming in third and Gingrich fourth of the candidates all Americans would favor regardless of party.
Of Democrats, the order changes somewhat about which Republican candidate they could consider supporting in 2012. The results were: Romney 20%, Huckabee 18%, Pawlenty 11%, and Palin 10% — suggesting that Romney and Pawlenty have a broader appear than Huckabee and Palin.
Of the six candidates and looking at all Americans, only Huckabee, Romney, and Gingrich were seen as qualified to be president while the other three received very low scores.
"Huckabee and Romney lost their 2008 bids for the Republican presidential nomination to John McCain, but each can now, along with Palin, be considered one of the early front-runners for the 2012 GOP nomination," Gallup noted.
The polling firm also noted Palin remains popular with rank and file Republicans, though it appears she needs to expand her base to include more independents and Democrats.
"Although most Republicans currently regard Romney, Huckabee, and even Gingrich as more qualified than Palin, the former Alaska governor maintains a strong appeal among Republicans. Her popularity among the party’s base — Palin’s 72% favorable rating in July well exceeded those for Romney (56%) and Huckabee (59%) among Republicans — to a large degree seems to offset any deficit she has in perceived experience," Gallup said.
A previous Rasmussen poll found 29% of Republican voters nationwide say Huckabee is their pick to represent the GOP in the 2012 presidential campaign.
The survey had 24 percent preferring Romney and 18% would cast their vote for pro-life former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Looking at other potential candidates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is pro-life, received 14 percent, while Pawlenty got 4 percent.
Gallup results are based on telephone interviews with 1,021 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
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