The common "who-would-you-vote-for-if-the-election-were-today" polls are not the best indicator of future success, especially this far out from the primary. After winning the CPAC straw poll and taking an early lead in endorsements and fundraising, Mitt Romney is showing that he is a force to be reckoned with. He is only lagging in name recognition with the general populace which is an obvious early advantage for McCain, Giuliani, Gingrich, and Fred Thompson. But let's face it, all the candidates are flawed and most people have not started to pay serious attention to the candidates yet. Name recognition can only take you so far.

It doesn't matter who you would vote for today. It really matters who you would NOT vote for today. These numbers are much harder to change.

According to the Diageo/Hotline poll on 3/23, Mitt Romney has the lowest negatives of all the candidates.

NEVER Vote For In GOP WH Primary?
John McCain 16%
George Pataki 15%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Jeb Bush 6%
Rudy Giuliani 6%
Chuck Hagel 5%
Bill Frist 5%
Tom Tancredo 4%
Condoleezza Rice 4%
George Allen 3%
Mitt Romney 2%
Undec/Oth 41%

Mitt Romney is a unique candidate in that he has a strong base already with little name recognition. He also is the only truly successful businessman in the field which will become very appealing to voters as they learn more about his success. This is what fascinated people about Ross Perot and Steve Forbes. Most people feel accomplished, successful business leaders are far more competent than politicians.

Scott Allan

Labels: fundraising, mitt romney, Polls