At this point in the race it is less interesting to see where the candidates fall on the horse race numbers and more interesting what message is sinking in with the voters.

Pew Research did a poll February 7-11, released on Friday, looking into how the candidates are viewed.

Some interesting numbers and observations are extracted below.

Words most often used with Mitt Romney:
Good
Conservative
Massachusetts
Governor
Olympics
Well
Republican
Leader
Mormon

In the horse race numbers It is:
Giuliani: 36%
McCain: 23%
Romney: 15%

This is more impressive when you consider that 54% of the respondents said Nothing/Don't Know in response to being asked about Romney. Romney can only go up while McCain and Giuliani, who only 32% and 9% didn't know about respectively, have less room to grow.

OTHER INTERESTING QUOTES:

The people who mention Giuliani's ideology generally don't like it:

Very few people mention anything related to Giuliani's political views or ideology (6%). These mentions are slightly more prevalent among people who say there is no chance they will vote for him than for those who say there is a chance they will.

Negative comments about Giuliani include references to his personal life and personality, with such references as "arrogant," "egotistical," "a bully," "full of himself," and "showman."

McCain seems to be taking hits from both sides:

On the other hand, mentions of issues and ideology are more common among those who say there is no chance they would vote for McCain. In this regard, comments about his support of the war in Iraq are especially notable. Others mentioned that he is "too close to Bush" or that he "gives in to the political right." About equal numbers of people describe him as trustworthy" or "honest" as say he is "two-faced," "dishonest," or a "hypocrite."

Romney's viewed by the folks more on ideology than by religion:

Mentions of ideology – mostly about his conservatism – are the most common of any single type of comment (at 9%). Various other mentions include his time as governor of Massachusetts, his father's political career, and his own service as head of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee. There are only a few mentions of Romney's religion (3%).

In general the poll paints a picture of the people not being satisfied with the choices they have right now

The Summary of the poll is here

The hard numbers are here (PDF)

Labels: Romney. Poll