Pundit Press: Obama Falls Behind 'Generic' Republican Candidate

Pundit Press: Obama Falls Behind 'Generic' Republican Candidate

Behind a GOP Candidate

And fewer and fewer voters believe that the President deserves to be re-elected. Last month, when asked, the public was split 45%-45%. This month paints a different story.

Does President Obama Deserve Re-election?


Yes: 41%
No: 50%
Other/dk: 9%

For the President, the number is not well for his re-election prospects. When paired against a generic Republican, Obama has fallen behind for the first time. This comes as the GOP field still remains wide open, without a firm favorite.

Obama: 36%
Generic GOP: 37%
Other/und: 25%

Notice the high level of undecided voters. With a quarter of the electorate without an opinion, this could show that these voters are keeping the door open on voting for a Republican candidate. Obama is polling almost 20% less than the actual vote total in 2008. This is a particularly weak figure for a President that entered office with approval ratings over 60%.

This will not help Obama, but it also highlights the work still left for the Republican Party. There must be a firm candidate that can have wide support within the party and not allow Obama and the Democrats to split the vote.