Evidence is mounting that Mitt Romney is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination because many Republicans think he's the best chance they have of defeating Barack Obama in 2012.
Business Insider says the reason Romney is moving to the front of the pack is "electability."
Consider these two questions (asked of Republican primary voters only) from the most recent Fox News survey:
How important is it to you that the Republican nominee agrees with you on most major issues?
- Very important 53%
- Somewhat important 43%
- Not very important 2%
- Not at all important 2%
How important is it to you that the Republican nominee can beat Barack Obama?
- Very important 73%
- Somewhat important 19%
- Not very important 3%
- Not at all important 3%
Republican primary voters may not agree with Mitt Romney on issues like "Romneycare," but they're willing to overlook almost anything in order to make sure that President Obama is defeated in 2012.
Post a Comment
The big assumption here is that likely Republican primary voters have a sense of who can actually beat Obama. This may be too big of an assumption. Remember, just behind Romney in the polls is the queen of unelectability herself, Ms. Palin. It would have been nice if the Fox poll asked specifically about Romney, but I hope your assumption turns out to be a good one. At this point, I wouldn't vote for any potential candidates except Obama and Huntsman (not necessarily in that order), but I think at least Romney would provide a good moderate presence in the generals, which is more than I can say for most of the others.