WASHINGTON (CNN) – As the the first unofficial ballots are cast in the next race for the White House, a new national survey of Republicans indicates that the GOP doesn't have a clear presidential frontrunner - but does have a clear gender gap.
Twenty-nine percent of Republicans questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they are most likely to support Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. Right behind the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, and well within the poll's 4.5 percent sampling error, is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Twenty-six percent of those questioned say they are most likely backing the former, and possibly future, Republican presidential candidate.
Twenty-one percent of Republicans polled say they most likely would support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another GOP hopeful from the last campaign who may put his hat into the ring again.
Nine percent say they would probably back Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who is considered a rising star in the GOP. On Tuesday, Jindal gave the Republican response to President Barack Obama's prime time address to a joint session of Congress. This poll was conducted before that speech, which drew some critical reviews.
"Since the poll was taken before Jindal's widely-panned speech, his low support is not a reflection on his performance on Tuesday night and is most likely due to the fact that he is not as well known as Palin, Huckabee or Romney, all of whom ran national campaigns in 2008,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Ten percent of those questioned say they would most likely support some other candidate.
The poll's release comes as conservatives from across the country are gathered in the nation's capital to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference. Those attending the meetings are voting in a straw poll of their favorite candidate for the next Republican presidential nomination. The results will be released Saturday.
While the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll doesn't indicate a clear frontrunner, it does suggest there's a gender gap among rank-and-file Republicans.
"Among GOP men, the same pattern emerges - no clear advantage for Palin, Huckabee or Romney,” says Holland. “But among Republican women, it's a different story. Palin has a 10-point edge among Republican women, winning 32 percent support among them to 22 percent for Huckabee and 20 percent for Romney. With the sampling error, that's not enough to say for sure that Palin is in the lead, but it does indicate that if the primaries were held tomorrow, Palin would have a good chance of being the favorite among GOP women."
But the 2012 campaign is still a long, long, long way away.
"So many things will happen between now and 2012 that this poll has no real predictive value," says Holland.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey was conducted February 18-19, with 429 Republicans questioned by telephone.
From CNN Politics
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Work for us | Help
Enough with GOP crap. It is about the country!
Please CNN, is this what it is with "country first" with GOP?
WHY would anyone support Sarah Palin? The woman doesn't have two working brain cells!
If that's who the people who support the Republican party want as their defacto leader, then they might as well pack up their toys and go home now.
what are those people?.
It REALLY doesn't matter. Both Palin and Huckabee are losers. Intellectually as well as personally.
former Alaska Gov Mike Huckabee???
Can I get a dollar for every critical comment about Sarah Palin?
There are also gaps between the GOP and:
-Common Sense
-Race/Gender equality
-Modern ideas
-International Opinion
-Liberty
-Science
-Peace
How quickly did you guys write this article. The internet is killing writing. Mike Huckabee is the former governor of Alabama not Alaska. Also this piece is ridden with grammatical errors. Bring back sound journalism
That shows a fractured party. Over 20% support Palin, Over 20% support Romney. Two different people.
you people need to get a life , pres . obama hasent been in office but a month or so ,,, give it a rest its 4 yrs till the next election ,,
There are also gaps between the GOP and:
-Common Sense
-Race/Gender equality
-Modern ideas
-International Opinion
-Liberty
-Science
-Peace
I will submit this until you MSM twats decide to not censor it. Fascists.
The republicans don't suffer from a gender gap - they suffer from an intelligence gap.
What's between the legs has nothing to do with what's between the ears. Except to all you slobbering idiots that fantasize about the Wasilla Hillbilly and a pole dance.
Romney is going to win in 2012 since Obama has no idea what he's doing - especially in regard to the economy. All Obama knows how to do is pay back political favors and campaign all the time. And Romney's election will be historic, being the first Mormon president, but somehow I doubt you'll see Mormons jumping in front of TV cameras screaming about how they won't have to pay their bills or their mortgage anymore now that a Mormon is in the White House.
Sara Palin will give President Obama 4 more years. Sara Palin can not and will not over minority so she is a sure win for President Obama!
If Jindal is the rising star of the Republican party, thet might as well hang out a sign saying "closed due to no clue".
29% of Rushpublicans want Sarah Palin for President??!?
LMAO!!! You made my day CNN.
Hahaha, these Rethuglicans think they have a chance? We won't let them ruin our country again! You Rethuglicans are finished!
Pretty sure Huckabee was governor of Arkansas, not Alaska. As a free-thinking, small government style Republican, I think the extreme right slant of these choices will ensure Obama gets re-elected. The Christian element of the party has me seriously considering becoming an independent instead of being affiliated with the Republican party. After years of the party moving in that direction, I've just about had enough of it.
WOW I DIDNT KNOW MIKE HUCKABEE WAS GOV. OF ALASKA AS WELL AS ARKANSAS!!!
"Right behind the 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee, and well within the poll's 4.5 percent sampling error, is former Alaska Governor Mike Huckabee"
Palin, Huckabee, Romney, Jindal? Time for Michael Steele to get to work finding a better candidate. Or he could sit back and wait for Goldwater numbers.
Palin?? It seems as if conservative still haven't learned a lesson. That should be easy for the Democrats. Until 2016, and they probably won't have a chance then either.
They could lump them all together and run them as one candidate, and you would get no more ideas from them together than you would alone.
The Godless Out-of-touch Party also has an ideas gap... they have no ideas, resort to tired old mantras, and they lie a lot...
That's not the only gap they have. With their policy of favoring the rich and letting everyone else dangle helplessly, they need a complete realgnment if they're ever going to win another national election. Echoing the failed stances of the 1920s, 1980s, and the Bush era, I don't see that happening ecver again.
Just ask her the same questions again and enjoy the re-run of fumbled responses. She's not going to be more qualified in 2012.
Gov. Huckabee was governor of Arkansas.
Nine percent say they would probably back Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal – Of course he would get the less percent becasue he is a minoriity and most Republicans are too racist to pick some one of color. Jindal you were used just like Steele the token is being used. Republicans are not the party for people of color and the sooner Jidal and Steele realized that the better they will be. They are the party of WHITE OLD RICH MEN!
Palin is leading the poll for 2012 with these people. Repubs must want weak leadership at the top, they, a figurehead, so that the real power people can hide in the background and pull the strings, knowing that if they themselves ran for office, the public would run away screaming.
Be careful what you wish for GOP – it might come true.
Former Alaska Governor Mike Huckabee? Didn't bother to proof read this one?
So the party that does not support women's rights is having a hard time finding women in leadership??!! Shocker!!
Great, now we will have to see more crap from that moron Palin in future years to come, just freakin' great! I can't stand her, she's an eye sore.
OK... you fix it and make me look like an idiot. LOL
Does any one really believe that the Christian Right-republican leaning voters would support a Mormon for President? Clearly Romney is the best qualified of the group, but easily derailed by a Christian preacher sounding bozo like Huckabee. Huckabee and Plalin are both light weights who never had a chance of winning a national election, what could have motivated Huckabee to have run in the primary to have the only effect of eliminating Romney from beating McCAin in the primary? Hmm…. now that I think about it, wasn’t he rewarded with a TV talk show on fox?
All I want to know is which GOP candidate will call Obama a socialist for wanting all Americans to have jobs, affordable health care and an education. The nerve of that man!
America should forever be engaged in a battle of have's vs. have not's. Thank goodness we have the GOP to keep making this argument. (I'm being sarcastic)
Remeber when Republicans were thought of as the elite, the cream of society? Their new stereotype is not very flattering and this poll confirms it! Lunkheads!
Please tell me why is this NEWS!!!!!!! I am not understanding why we tend to think that it is necessary right now to be concerned to who will be the GOP nominee. We need to be paying attention to the 2008 President. And truth be told, President OBAMA will wipe them out too, just as he did McCain. People lets live for today, and get this country back on track. Already, you all want to keep mess going. Face it the REPUPS, ain't equipped.
OBAMA backing!!!!
So.
Wow anyone one of them would be perfect for an Obama and a Democratic landslide in 2012!!!! Democrats forever! A party of actions!!!!!!!!!! Instead to the 'Do Nothing' party of the Republicans! No ideas, no clues, unable to accept any responsibility for their actions and just lie, lie lie!!!!!!!!!! Palin would be the best candidate of the GOP a moron like all the Rethuglicans in office now!!!!!!!!!!
I can't believe we are still talking about Sara Palin being in the running for POTUS. She wasn't even qualified to be Vice President! Mitt Romney is the obvious choice and the one with the most knowledge and experience. By time Obama is done ruining our economy Mitt will be there to pick up the pieces and use his smarts to get us back on track. Wake up America! The office of President should not be decided on who is the most popular or the most cool or because it would be neat to have a black or a woman in there. It should be based on qualifications!!!
Romney in 2012
how sad.
Could we possibly be that lucky to see this bunch of goofballs run in '12?! That would be too easy. (We thought McCain got his rear kicked!) Boy, Mitch McConnel was right, they really are going to be a regional party backed by the fringe right.
Only 9% supporting Jindal? And that was BEFORE his goofy performance the other night? Hmmmm, wonder waht these people are thinking? (Duh!)
Please no Palin unless you raise money for her children to come with her. I think Palin is a joke but hey that is what the GOP is now.
GOP , THE TRUE CANDIDATE TO SAVE YOUR DOWN SPIRAL PARTY , IS GOV MIKE HUCKABEE, WHO HAVE A CLEAR AND GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CREATOR THAN ANY OF YOU.
IN THE BEGINNING HE SAW THE LIGHT AND HAD TO WARN MCAIN TO STAY AWAY FROM HURTING OBAMA BY INSINUATIONS- MCAIN DIDN'T LISTEN- SWUNG AND MISS THE GOLD-
A WORD TO THE WISE IS ENOUGH
I am a Female of Indian Origin. However, neither Palin, nor Jindal will get my vote, ever! Nor ANY Repub for that matter ever will get my vote! So go on and keep running guys and gals!
Let's do the math, shall we?
29%-Palin
21%-Romney
9%-Jindal
10%-Someone else
Total so far, 69%
Remaining 31%- Hate themselves/prefer to stay suffocated in a state of suspended confusion, perhaps, eh?
Seems like sound statistics to us, don't you think?
I would go for Huckabee over ANY of the others mentioend above. I might not see "eye to eye" on all of his policy statements, but at least he seems like a nice, genuine guy!
Anyone running against Obama will be better than Obama.
Palin, Palin, Palin!!!! I would LOVE to see Palin run against Obama in 2012. She has some time to study, but I don't think she is sophisticated enough to run a coherent, well-planned campaign. But think of it this way - If she does run, she won't be able to blame the "upper echelon, power hierarchical structure" that she claims didn't allow her to make any of the decisions this time around.
Oh wait! Maybe the RNC will build her up so that they do not have to send in a real candidate to be defeated by Obama. He will be unstoppable by that time!
Despite my apparent excitement here, I think we should continue to worry about he state of our nation instead of focusing on 2012. Obama has inherited so many problems and the country needs to get out of this mess.
Oh Please Please let it be Palin! Obama will win re-election easily.
there's a gender gap among rank and file Republicans. Also, there is a race gap as well.
Sarah Palin? Works for me...Dem's victory for sure...
I hope Sarah or Bobby run in 2012. They're both dumb as a box of rocks and it should be a bigger landslide victory for President Obama than it was in 2008.
Sounds like good news for the Democrats!
She may do well with the republicans polled; but you betcha she is a long way from the White House. I do know that we will see a lot of Sara's ego coming up. Like I said, she is a long way.
Old joke... 29% of Republicans want Sarah Palin to run and win their nomination in 2012. 100% of Democrats hopes she does.
Bush Republicans/conservatives (confederates)...
...should no longer be allowed to vote...
...or run for office...
...they're not qualified to do either...
I would think the gender gap is the least of their issues.....how about their IQ gap....
Doesn't matter Obama will kick any republican to the curb in 2012.
If Palin is their best hope for 2012 bring it on!!! LOL
What a JOKE!!!
there are so many other intelligent choices like Ron Paul and Tim Paulenty and evn tho I think he is arrogant Mitt Romey
Palin will drag you down even more
Why do you think McCain lost
Wake up or your party really is in *deeper* doo doo
than it is already
All of which bodes well for the Democratic Party! Music to my ears - except for the part about having to listen to Ms. Moosekiller flap her jaws in that fake Minnesota accent. But hey, maybe she'll read a book or two between now and then?
I highly recommend ANYTHING by Derrick Jensen.
29 percent of GOP support Palin for 2012? Great!! The beating they just got in large part due to her will *pale* in comparison to the 2012 Democratic landslide if they nominate her. She's the only person in the GOP dumber than Bush. I guess it's true that the Republican base are completely clueless! They all need to go to Alaska and look at Russia from her house, while their party dissolves itself away into nothingness. Good riddance!
Naaaaah..... really? Talk about the GOP being in a constant state of delusion. Honestly, is the GOP truly this stupid? What does it take for them to get a clue? Do we need to DRAW them a picture?
If it takes a POLL to tell these GOP idiots who consistently "brag" about how many "rising starts they have in Jindah. Palin and Limbaugh, and how their own RNC puppet Michael Steele constantly brags about how "hip hop" he is and how "he's DA'MAN" to realize they have a serious GENDER GAP is beyond mind boggling. The GOP without a doubt remains in a serious coma.
Yes, they have a gender gap, age gap and intelligence gap. America voted and a sign of intelligence is the ability to change your mind when you are wrong. I see no sign of intelligence from the hard right. They spread hate and fear, without ideas, as is proofed from the mess they left for President Obama. As for Rush, the reason women do not like him is that his good ideas are no-exhiting. He is an angry hate filled man. Thank god we have an intelligent, honorable man in office. No red states, no blue just the United States...
Support our President!
Sarah for president....how I wish she already was!
If Palin emerges as the front runner, that's a HOT MESS, and the Republicans are in trouble.
God help us.
"One note of caution. The 2012 campaign is still a long, long, long way away."
So why in the world are you conducting a poll on it? It's meaningless – unless you are trying to drive traffic to the site and get folks like me to comment. Otherwise, who cares?
(Yes, I fell for the bait...sorry now that I did.)
Here comes the left-wing Palin bashing... and the anti-religious Huckabee bashing in 3....2....1.....
Cancel that GOP! No one wants your "kind" in the white house. You all have done ENOUGH damage! BYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEE
Oh goody. We all get to watch Caribou Barbie dress another moose! Alert Tina Fey....get out the old wardrobe...its showtime!!!
Yes, let it be Palin , I can just hear it now, she will start up with Obama "Palling around with Terrorist", insighting near riots at her campaign speeches, and dredging up Old Joe the Plumber , having Rush Limbaugh throughing his support to her , refusing to do major interviews, staying away from News media that can call her on her intelligence, listening to her whine about how the media is not fair to her........I can hear it all now, and we will be laughing all the way to the POLLS to vote OBAMA again.........
LMAO, is this all they got? Oh have the repubs forgot about fat head, big mouth rush? Let them put that idiot in the running considering what they have already, (losers) his level of intellengence would fit in quite nicely. This is truly a sad pathetic party.
In other words, which of these losers gets trounced by Obama?
They have reduced themselves to a marginal party. Nothing they say is credible, and their constant bashing of President Obama, is beginning to appear to be more racial than political, despite their token diversity.
If they continue to harp on this idea of "Socialism", they will be labeled as "Right-WIng Freaks", and many more will defect from their evil regime.
DeMint and Huckabee together don't equal one good candidate. Their whole campaign is based on "talking points" and "sound bites" like "My bad", "We're starting an American revolution of values."
Whom do they think they're fooling?......My bad; they're fooling about 48,000,000.
D to the E, to the M – GO DEMS!
OMG r u kidding me. We would be a laughing stock if she was to win.
Let's just give up the USA to China. Why even bother going through another election....God Help US ALL!
They should have supported Romney this year.
Palin? That's what's really wrong with this country. People with no common sense. Are they kidding?
Maybe if major news organizations didn't feel the need to start running these ridiculous polls so far out from an election, our elected officials and the voters might focus a bit more on actual policy and governance and not the game of who's going to get elected next time around.
I find it surprising that there are 29% willing to support a dimwit that thinks she has foreign policy creds because she thinks she can see Russia from her front porch!
The gop is doomed to years of irrelevancy. They're leaning way to far to the right for the majority of American. Huckabee, he's nothing but a bad joke. Romney can't even buy the gop nomination.
Good luck gop. I'll stick with the Democrats.
Man,again,if this list is any indication that this is the best the republicans have to offer,my oh my,the party must really be in a bad state of affairs.Re-hashed,re-cycled,redundant and ridiculous.
Think about it people...if Booby Jingle can justify fabricating an entire anecdote about the Katrina tragedy because he thinks it will gain him political leverage, then what else is he lying about in order to gain political leverage? Perhaps his conversion to Christianity?
Scared yet GOPers?
Even if the GOP runs Hitler, I would vote for him over that trash in the white house now.
I left the Republican party years ago because they didn't have any integrity insisting upon taking everything they could get and legislating greed, our failed economy is the direct result of their selfishness of which Palin became the poster child!!! Just think about the 08 presidential race a savings & loan greed monger and a Neiman Marcus greedy shopper on the same ticket!!! They present nothing to vote for but a continuation of the pillaging of our economy.
They are all equally awful.
I will believe the Republican cry about "socialism" when every single one of them cancels their gold plated health care program, their over the top pension plans and their Social Security cheques.
Until then it is just more of the same no matter who "leads" the party of an aristocracy of entitlement for the rich and connected and to hell with everyone else!
looks like the election of Barack Obama has left very many people irked. Can people calm down coz we just started 4years journey and may be we have 8years to go then they can start all this bull?
Please pick Palin....Would be great fun in the General Election
If Sarah Palin represents the BEST the GOP has to offer. It can only be described in one word...SAD!!!! Frankly she just is not smart enough to be President. Frankly Huckabee would present a better challenge against President Obama. But this is all moot if the economy turns around and it looks like it is starting to generate enough jobs and tax revenue to begin decreasing the national debt. If that happens, Obama WILL have two terms.
YOU GO GIRL! You can win it all
Phew......What a list to choose from........
Look's like we wont be seeing a republican president for awile........Seem's like everyone who is worthwhile left the darkside and came to the light of the democrat's........