Internal GOP polls show Gingrich's attack on Romney's Bain record is effective [View all]

[highplainsdem]

From a Miami Herald blog:


http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/01/think-bain-attacks-repel-primary-voters-internal-gop-polls-suggest-otherwise.html

With the near-universal outrage among conservatives over Newt Gingrich's attacks on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital, it would seem that the line is a sure loser during the Republican primary. But two internal Republican-conducted polls, shared on condition of anonymity, suggest otherwise. Also, Gingrich's double-digit surge in polls in South Carolina (largely fueled by his debate performance) shows that the Bain line wasn't toxic.

The surveys of 500 Iowa caucus goers and 500 South Carolina likely primary voters show that the attack could work well if it's framed the way Gingrich has: That Romney got rich while he fired the little guy. In Iowa, 61 percent of likely primary voters said it would make them less likely to vote for a candidate. In South Carolina, 63 percent said it would make primary voters less likely to vote for a candidate.

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Yes, it's a leading push poll/message-testing question, one that's used to help sharpen campaign ads or one that consultants use to anticipate future attacks so they can defend their candidate. It doesn't mean the message is fair, accurate or complete. And, yes, this is just a snippet of a poll shared with us to push an agenda. Still, it's worth a note.

Also, the Iowa and South Carolina polls roped in Democrats and independents, who can participate in the early votes there. In Florida, only Republicans can vote in the Jan. 31 primary. But Florida is also a top job-loss state and Romney has yet to explain how his company profitted off of shuttering a Miami factory and laying off hundreds of workers years ago (story is here). And, in the end, struggling Republican Floridians are a lot more like struggling Democrats and independents than the coiffed, well-suited cognescenti of the Washington-New York chattering class.

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