Poll: Obama holds double digit leads over Romney and Santorum
Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama holds double digit leads over the top two GOP presidential candidates, according to a new national survey.
A Politico/George Washington University Battleground Poll released Monday indicates Obama topping former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 53% to 43% in a hypothetical general election matchup, with the president leading former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania 53% to 42%.
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Matched up against a generic GOP opponent in the general election (an unnamed candidate who has not suffered negative attacks during the primary process), Obama has a five-point advantage (50%-45%), up from a dead heat back in November. It's also telling that the president is at or above 50% in all three general election matchups.
A new national poll from USA Today/Gallup tells a different story. According to the survey, which was also released Monday, Obama and Romney are deadlocked at 47% in a hypothetical matchup, with Santorum holding a 49%-46% margin over the president.
The Battleground poll indicates that the debates, caucuses and primaries appear to be taking a toll on Romney, with 51% of independent voters holding a unfavorable opinion of him, compared to just 33% who see him in a positive light. Among independents, Romney trails the president by 22 points in the hypothetical general election matchup. Forty percent of independents have a favorable view of Santorum, with 32% saying they see him in a negative way.
Among Republicans only, the battle for the GOP nomination appears to be all tied up, with Santorum at 36% and Romney at 34%. Santorum's two-point margin is within the poll's sampling error. The survey is similar to the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll's numbers on the Republican horse race.
Four out of ten say that Romney has run the most negative campaign, followed by Gingrich at 33% and Santorum and Paul each at 4%, with nearly one in five unsure.
The Politico/George Washington University Battleground Poll was conduced between February 19 and February 22, with 1,000 likely voters nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted between February 20 and February 21, with 881 registered voters questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points.
Take a look at the sampling in terms of political affiliation. Not only is the sampling overweighted toward both independents and democrats. but the percentages add up to above 100% with no disclaimer, clarifying the results. This poll is not worth looking at.
Mmmm smells like PROPOGANDA!
Flash: Pollsters unable to find number for Gingrich in this matchup; scientists called in to use microscopes.
i tea party proude. vote for me.
I would prefer Reomney's money-corruption over Santorum's desire to entrench religion into government and education. Santorum would turn this country into a tyranny, into another Iran. Shayatollah Santorum.
Guess CNN is proud of the Politico poll. Gallup and Rasmussen don't poll Obama so high.
love the poll CNN utilized....let's take a peek at what an actual reputable poll looks like...TODAY:
RASMUSSEN POLL: Obama Approval at 45%, Lowest in Month—President Falls Behind Romney and Paul...
Romney 45% Obama 43%...
Paul 43% Obama 41%
Obama 45% Santorum 43%
Obama 49% Gingrich 39%... Developing...
Of course Obama will have a double-digit lead when the GOP has someone like Santorum as a front-runner. Personally, I think the Republicans are more fiscally responsible but as a woman they are selling me out to the religious wack-jobs. I'm afraid I will have to stick with Obama this time!
Let's hope the trend continues. It would be a disaster for America if either Rick SanTaliban or Mint Rawmoney became president.
Who looks and acts the most Presidential? The President, of course! And it's not just because he IS the President.It's what he says and how he acts in front of the world. Not just when he's in front of the Faux cameras answering softball questions. You just can't create a good candidate. No matter how much money you have. That's what the debates have exposed.
I am a Republican who will vote for Obama again.
Times change. At the age of seventy-three, I can remember when Republicans were more realistically attuned to current attitudes toward religion and social structure.
Although I am fiscally conservative, I will not vote for someone like Santorum who tells us that we should vote for him because of God's thinking.
I guess this is good news for those voting for the lesser of two evils,
Democrat or (gag) Republican.
Organized religion is just sophisticated shamanism.
Get real, folks; your fairy tale is being exposed by those without delusions and without a screaming fear of death.
Who in their right mind would still attend a Catholic Church where child rape is proven to be common?
He, She, or It is probably out there somewhere (or everywhere), but He, She, or It doesn’t care who wins the Friday night high school football game.
I bet a darkhorse candidate emerges.
It is way to early to track this kind of poll. Obama has had months of glowing media reports and the GOP candidates have had a full assault from the media and themselves. Gas prices, coming economic slow down, Euro issues, Iran, Middle East issues, there are significant issues that can impact this fluid poll. The national poll is far less significant than the poll in battle ground States like Ohio, Florida, etc. GOP is in the lead in most of those States.
This is one of the most important elections in my lifetime. Is our nation going to forge ahead into the 21th century with Europe and Asia or are we going to throw ourselves into the abyss of religious fanaticism as Europe did during the dark ages? I'll never vote for a Mullah just because we happen to share the same faith. Until the GOP learns that fact I hope they are destined for failure.
“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.” Thomas Jefferson
I'm voting for President Obama. When I listen to the far right of Santorum and Romney I can't believe how utterly "lost" the Republican party has become. Each time one of the Conservative candidates open their mouth they make the GOP sound more like the Taliban and less like Americans.
I can see it alreadly four more years of hell. People need realize the smell of roses aren't sweet with Obama in office.
That's awesome. 56/44 is pretty much my prediction for November. I'll admit...Obama hasn't done all I've wanted him to do, but he has done a lot, especially considering the obstructionist Republicans, who are so against him they'll even vote against tax breaks.
The CNN polled 1000 Democrats for this...
Of course, this left leaning news station does not mention that Mitt Romney is up almost 10 point in every swing state. That means that Romney would still win. But don't take my word for it, look it up or just wait until after Romney gets the nomination. I am sure his percentage across the nation will also go up then.
I don't trust polls.
Good news for obama
Cool – now all you Obama voters can just stay home, mmmmmkay? I think American Idol is on that night.
The evil of two lessers....
I think if Ghaddafi were alive and running against anyone of these republican candidates, he also would have a double digit lead. No disrespect intended to Barack Obama.
All the conservative candidates are more-ons and bigots. They can't run on any good ideas, so they run on superstition (religion), racism and bigotry.