Many have already written off Obama as the unemployment rate continues to climb, health care reform continues to founder, a history of prisoner abuse continues to fester, and idiotic attacks on his birth continue to be flung.
But a new nationwide poll of American voters shows President Obama leading major 2012 Republican presidential contenders. The survey, conducted by Clarus Research Group shows Obama leading GOP challengers by margins ranging from 9 to 19 points.
In the poll, Obama led:
• Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, by nine points: 47 percent to 38 percent, with 15 percent undecided.
• Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, by 10 points: 48 percent to 38 percent, with 15 percent undecided.
• Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, by 18 points: 52 percent to 34 percent, with 15 percent undecided.
• Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, by 19 points: 53 percent to 34 percent, with 13 percent undecided.
The Clarus poll also found Romney leading other possibilities for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination among Republicans and independents who lean Republican. Romney captured 30 percent of their support for the nomination, followed by Huckabee with 22 percent, Palin 19 percent, Gingrich 15 percent, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal 4 percent. Two percent of the sample volunteered someone else and 10 percent were undecided.
Obama continues to do well among his base constituencies: African Americans, voters younger than 30 and Democrats, according to the Clarus poll
Clarus conducted the nationwide survey August 14-18, 2009 with a sample of 1,003 registered voters in the U.S. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent. The poll was conducted via telephone by live interviewers.
