With a pro-life landslide in the 2010 midterm congressional elections, it’s now not too early to begin looking ahead to the next election battle: defeating pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released on Thursday covering hypothetical presidential election matchups shows Obama losing to Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney but ahead of Sarah Palin.
Huckabee leads Obama 52-44 percent, while Romney has a 50-45 point advantage — putting both former governors who ran as pro-life candidates in 2008 ahead of Obama.
The results are especially good considering the poll covers registered and not likely voters.
Obama leads Palin, the pro-life former governor Alaska and former John McCain running mate, 52-44. Obama also holds a 49-47 percent margin over pro-life former House Speaker Gingrich.
When it comes to surveying Republicans on the candidates they most want to see represent the party against the pro-abortion president, 21 percent want Huckabee to be the nominee while 20 percent support Romney. Fourteen percent say they support Palin and 12 percent back Gingrich.
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who also ran for the GOP presidential nomination the last time around, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania all polled at 3 percent each, and all are pro-life.
No one has yet to announce a bid for the GOP nomination but Barbour said recently he is considering it and some reports indicate Pence is considering running for the governor of Indiana.
The poll indicates about 40 percent have a favorable view of Palin while about half of voters have an unfavorable view of her. Romney has a 36 percent favorable rating and a 29 percent unfavorable rating, with 35 percent unsure. Huckabee’s splits are 42 percent positive, 26 percent negative and 10 percent unsure.
Gingrich has a 32% positive, 40% negative and 10 percent unsure split.
Also, some 73 percent of Democrats want Obama to be re-nominated — making it appear unlikely that he will face a primary election on his way to the 2012 campaign.
CNN also asked questions about 2012 in its exit polls on Tuesday.
In Iowa, the first presidential battleground, 21 percent of Republicans wanted Romney to be the nominee, Huckabee received 21 percent as well, Palin got 18 percent, and Gingrich 7 percent. Another 20 percent split among some of the other potential presidential candidates.
In New Hampshire, the second battleground, 39 percent of Republicans said that Romney is their first choice. Palin is at 18 percent and Huckabee 11 percent there while Gingrich had 8 percent and other candidates combined for 19 percent.
South Carolina is the third battleground and, there, CNN found Palin is the leading choice with the support of 25 percent of Republicans. Huckabee follows at 24 percent, Romney at 21 percent and Gingrich at 10 percent.
The poll of 1,006 adult Americans, of which 921 were registered voters, was conducted by phone October 27-30, before the midterm elections.
