PRESS
RELEASE
from
Newt
2012
Internal
Polling Confirms Newt on the Path to Victory
Newt 2012 field polling confirms recent public polls that have shown a
surge of support for Newt in Mississippi and Alabama.
Newt led the field in Mississippi and was in a tight race for first
in Alabama.
Interviews were conducted March 8-9.
The
numbers show Newt is on the path to victory and reflect the fundamental
strength of his candidacy: he’s a proven reformer with results and a
visionary with bold solutions.
They
highlight major vulnerabilities for the Romney and Santorum campaigns
among an electorate just starting to learn more about both.
THE MORE VOTERS KNOW ABOUT ALL THE CANDIDATES, THE MORE THEY SUPPORT
NEWT
- Voters see Newt the candidate
with the bold solutions to turn the economy around and change
Washington. More voters in both states believe Newt has the best economic plan. They
see him as the reformer who
has gotten results before, the candidate most likely to bring true reform
to Washington, and the person with the best chance of beating
Obama in a debate, which voters think is imperative to beating him in
the fall.
- Long form descriptions of the actual facts and figures from
Santorum's and Gingrich's records while in office push
voters heavily to Gingrich, who likely did not know that Santorum, a
strong social conservative, had been such a big-spender in the Senate,
increasing deficits by $1.7 trillion and the national debt by $1.7
trillion.
- Newt’s focus on gas prices is
helping fuel his momentum. Newt is seen as the best able to reverse the rising
price of gasoline and achieve greater energy independence.
The plan is seen as an overwhelming asset to his campaign: large
majorities are more likely to vote for him because of it. In both
states, voters want to hear more about Newt’s gas plan.
ROMENY: OUT OF TOUCH AND OUT OF STEP
- Voters
just
can’t get past Romneycare. After nearly five years running
for president, Romney still has not persuaded voters he can be trusted
on healthcare. Roughly 75%
say Romney’s record on health care in Massachusetts alone gives them
pause about him.
- Republicans
ran against Obamacare in 2010 and won. Voters understand how difficult
it will be for Republican candidates to run against Obamacare in 2012
if they have to defend Romneycare at the same time.
- Large majorities see Romney as
out-of-touch, both unprompted and based on his own verbatim comments in
recent weeks.
RICK
SANTORUM’S RECORD OF FAILED
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP THAT RESULTED IN THE
LOSS OF GOP CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITIES IN 2006 IS UNACCEPTABLE TO VOTERS
- Large majorities
were less likely to vote for him because he allowed the federal debt to
increase $1.7 trillion and voted to raise the national debt ceiling
five times to accommodate it. They strongly opposed his history of
requesting billions of dollars in earmarks during his time in the
Congress and his votes for thousands of wasteful earmarks, including
the Bridge to Nowhere.
- Knowing
that Rick Santorum was the third most powerful leader in the U.S.
Senate at a time when Republican leadership abandoned its principles
and failed to pass a single balanced budget troubled nearly 70% of
voters. This record of failed Republican leadership led to the
worst
electoral defeat for Republicans since Watergate and the loss of GOP
Congressional majorities in both the House and Senate.
###
R.C. Hammond
Press Secretary