Obama 44% Perry 36%
Following a fiery debate Tuesday night, Texas Governor Rick Perry now trails President Obama by eight points in the latest 2012 hypothetical matchup.
Politics
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October 20, 2011
October 20, 2011
Iowa: Cain 28% Romney 21% Paul 10%
Reflecting national trends, businessman Herman Cain has now jumped to the front of the Republican pack in Iowa.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Iowa caucus-goers shows that Cain is in front with 28% followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 21%. Congressman Ron Paul is a distant third at 10% followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 9%, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann at 8%, and Texas Governor Rick Perry at 7%. The sixth place finish for Perry is a sharp decline from early September when Perry was the frontrunner both nationally and in Iowa. (To see survey question wording, click here).
Former Senator Rick Santorum picks up 4% of the vote and former Governor Jon Huntsman is at 2%. Another 4% would prefer some other candidate and 8% are not sure.
Only one-third of the caucus-goers (32%) are certain of their vote and don’t expect to change their mind. Among these voters, 30% prefer Cain, 22% Romney, and 17% Paul.
Among those absolutely certain they will show up and participate in the caucus, Cain leads Romney 31% to 18%. Many have criticized the Cain campaign for not having a strong organization in Iowa which is seen as essential to turning out the vote. According to such conventional analysis, Cain might be at risk of raising expectations too high and then underperforming.
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The survey of 800 Likely Iowa Republican Caucus Participants was conducted on October 19, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
October 19, 2011
Canada, Great Britain Still Top American Allies
Canada and Great Britain are still viewed by most as America’s top allies, and more Americans view Germany and Japan that way.
October 19, 2011
38% Think It’s A Plus To Compare A Candidate To Bill Clinton
Describing a political candidate as being “like Bill Clinton” isn’t up there in popularity with a comparison to Ronald Reagan, but it’s much better than being called “a centrist,” a phrase often used for politicians willing to compromise.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Likely U.S. Voters consider it a positive label if a candidate is compared to Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 24% consider such a comparison a negative, and 35% rate it somewhere in between the two.
October 18, 2011
Generic Republican 47%, Obama 43%
A generic Republican now leads President Obama by four points in a hypothetical 2012 match-up for the week ending Sunday, October 16.
October 18, 2011
Obama 43%, Romney 42%
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and President Obama continue to run virtually even in a hypothetical Election 2012 matchup as they have for the past several weeks. Herman Cain is now the only Republican who has any kind of lead over the president.
October 17, 2011
63% Favor Immigration Checks On All Routine Traffic Stops
Most voters still strongly agree with automatic immigration status checks when a police officer pulls someone over for a routine traffic stop. They also continue to favor tough sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants and landlords who rent or sell to them.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% of Likely U.S. Voters say if a police officer pulls someone over for a traffic violation, the officer should automatically check to see if that person is in the country legally. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree.
October 17, 2011
Cain 43%, Obama 41%
Whether Herman Cain’s surge in the polls is temporary or has staying power, he’s enjoying a big enough bounce to take a very slight lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 matchup. At the moment, the Georgia businessman is the only Republican with a lead of any kind over Obama, although former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has held a similar advantage several times and is currently trailing the president by just two points.
October 17, 2011
17% See War with Iran As Very Likely Within Five Years
Most voters are aware that the United States has accused Iran of attempting to assassinate the ambassador from Saudi Arabia in this county and think there’s a good chance America will be at war with Iran in the near future.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that the United States will end up in a war with Iran in the next five years or so. However, only 17% think it’s Very Likely. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 32% feel a war with Iran is unlikely in the next five or so years, but that includes only five percent (5%) who think it is Not At All Likely.
October 17, 2011
58% Think Repeal of Health Care Law Likely
Most voters still want to see the national health care law repealed, and confidence that its days are numbered is at an all-time high.
October 16, 2011
63% Put Border Control Ahead Of Legalizing Illegal Immigrants
Most voters continue to believe as they have for years that immigration legislation should focus on border control. They also remain supportive of a welcoming immigration policy with a few key restrictions.
October 15, 2011
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending October 15, 2011
Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman quipped at last Tuesday night’s debate that at first he thought rival Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan was the price of a pizza. Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, wasn’t amused, but for now at least he’s having the last laugh.
October 14, 2011
44% Have Favorable View of Christie, 29% Like Rubio
Most Republicans have favorable opinions of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and freshman Florida Senator Marco Rubio, but for a sizable chunk of voters both men are largely unknown.
October 14, 2011
New Low: 32% Support Obama’s Decision To Take Military Action in Libya
As fighting drags on in Libya, support for U.S. military action there and confidence that a change of government in the North African country will be good for the United States have fallen to new lows.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Likely U.S. Voters now agree with President Obama’s decision to take military action in Libya, down from 45% support in mid-March just after it began and 39% last month following premature news reports that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had been defeated.
October 13, 2011
Voters Still Expect Little Improvement In Afghanistan
Voters continue to give a mixed response about the future of the war in Iraq, but remain more negative about the U.S. conflict in Afghanistan.
October 12, 2011
Occupy Wall Street Protesters: 36% Favorable 41% Unfavorable
Most Americans still aren’t following news of the Occupy Wall Street protests very closely and have mixed opinions of both the protesters and their authenticity.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of the nation’s Likely Voters have a favorable opinion of the Occupy Wall Street protesters while 41% offer an unfavorable opinion. Last week, a survey of Adults found a slight plurality offering a favorable opinion. Because the new survey was of Likely Voters and the prior one was of adults, the results are not precisely comparable. Additional tracking will measure whatever trends might emerge.
October 11, 2011
70% Favor Individual Choice Over Government Standards for Health Insurance
An independent panel advising the Obama administration released its recommendations last week on how the government should determine what level of coverage most health insurance policies should be required to have. But voters strongly oppose a government-mandated level of health insurance coverage.
October 10, 2011
Scott Rasmussen Interviews Herman Cain
An exclusive interview with GOP hopeful, Herman Cain.
October 9, 2011
51% Say Democratic Agenda In Congress Is Extreme, 47% Say Same of GOP's
Voters still tend to see the congressional agendas of both major political parties as out of the mainstream and view President Obama and the average member of Congress as out of step with them ideologically.
October 9, 2011
Most Still Blame Bad Economy on Bush-era Recession
A majority (51%) of voters still blames the nation’s current economic problems on the recession that began under President George W. Bush rather than the economic policies of President Obama.
