In recent polling, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is the leading candidate among the field of Republican presidential aspirants, both declared and probable. Romney currently leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, home to the first caucus and primary, respectively, and among national Republicans. And with other prominent Republicans like former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Indiana governor Mitch Daniels opting not to run, Romney increasing looks like the nominal nominee. Leading one experience Republican operative to tell the Huffington Post, "The nomination is now Romney's to lose."
That may be premature as polls this early in the campaign season are highly liable to change. And in a Harris poll (link above) a plurality of 23% of Republicans remain "undecided" and in a survey by Suffolk University, which also had Romney in the lead, 87% of Republican primary voters still say they have "no idea who you'll vote for" and only 4% are "definitely decided."
Romney also carries many liabilities. Romney's Mormon faith, suspect in the eyes of Evangelical Christians, and his passed health care law in Massachusetts, an inspiration to President Barack Obama's own health care reform widely disliked by Republicans, remain obstacles to any Republican nomination.
The latter in particular has been highly noted by possible Romney opponents for the nomination, such as Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani, both of whom used the opportunity of Romney's Thursday presidential announcement to criticize what some Republicans call "RomneyCare". Palin was in New Hampshire the same day Romney declared his campaign.
Due both to the health care law and what have been termed flip-flops on social issues from gay marriage to abortion, some conservative groups are organizing against Romney. Freedom Works, aligned with the Tea Party movement, has announced it is working to defeat Romney.
"In a matchup against Obama, tea party voters are looking for a consistent constitutional conservative," said Joe Miller, who made news last fall as the failed Tea Party candidate for Alaska's Senate seat. Miller is the head of Western Representation PAC, another anti-Romney conservative group.
"We will never get behind Mitt Romney. On issues like gun rights, gay rights, abortion, immigration, and health care, Romney has flipped more than John Kerry flopped," Miller added.
Leading in the polls is also likely to focus criticism among Republicans vying to topple him from the position of presumptive nominee.
Romney has raised a lot of money and has secured a lead in the polls, but the Republican primary may still be a long season.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Tea Party Groups Come Out Against Romney - Washington DC RNC | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/rnc-in-washington-dc/tea-party-groups-come-out-against-romney#ixzz1OVt6MvBc
No comments:
Post a Comment