UK: 53% polled can't name a Republican they'd support for president

Daily Mail

Now 44% of Americans say they WON'T vote for Obama in 2012 (but at least they know his name... 53% can't name a single Republican)

By Daily Mail Reporter

Barack Obama at a fundraiser in San Francisco yesterday. Almost half of Americans will not vote for him in the 2012 elections, a poll found

Almost half of Americans will not support Barack Obama in next year’s presidential election, according to a new poll.

Some 44 per cent of the registered electorate have said they would definitely vote against their current leader in 2012, according to the survey.

The results will come as sobering news for the American president who has seen a dip in his popularity in recent months and is set to spend $1billion in his bid to cling on to power.

However, he can take some comfort from the fact that the majority of the electorate are apparently unable to name any Republican candidates.

The McClatchy-Marist poll released yesterday revealed only 37 per cent of people will definitely back him while 18 per cent of the 1,084 registered voters surveyed were unsure.

In yet another blow for the leader, the survey also showed he had a very narrow one per cent lead over Republican Mitt Romney when voters were asked who they would support if the two men ran head-to-head.

Only 46 per cent of those polled pronounced themselves Obama supporters while 45 per cent said they would back Romney who is considering a possible presidential run. Nine per cent of respondents said they were undecided on the question of who should lead the country.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, this month formed an exploratory committee to raise money to challenge Obama in the 2012 election. According to the poll, he presents a greater threat than other possible Republican candidates.
Donald Trump has enjoyed a recent rise in the polls though 53 per cent of voters are unable to name a Republican

Donald Trump has enjoyed a recent rise in the polls though 53 per cent of voters are unable to name a Republican

However, his lead could well have something to do with the fact that 53 per cent of voters are apparently unable to name a Republican.

This lack of knowledge could also account for Donald Trump's recent rise in the polls.

The business magnate and television personality, who already benefits from widespread recognition, has hit the headlines in recent weeks after his flirtation with the presidential race.

In the Pew Research Center survey, 26 per cent of Americans named Trump as the candidate they had heard the most about lately.

This was a larger figure than the number of people who named Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty combined.

‘If there is a silver lining for his (Obama's) re-election, it's the lack of clarity in the GOP field,’ said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, referring to the potential Republican candidates.

Obama led former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee 48 per cent to 43 per cent with 9 per cent undecided. Huckabee has said he will wait until the summer to make a decision on whether to seek the Republican nomination to face Obama.

Pitted against former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Obama led 56 per cent to 34 per cent with 10 per cent undecided. Obama held a similar lead against real estate tycoon Donald Trump -- 54 per cent to 38 per cent with 8 per cent undecided.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379180/Now-44-Americans-say-WONT-vote-Obama-2012-know---53-single-Republican.html