Thread: Poll: Christie as VP helps Romney the most, Rubio would hurt candidacy

Poll: Christie as VP helps Romney the most, Rubio would hurt candidacy

Published: 5:15 PM 04/19/2012
By Alexis Levinson
The Daily Caller




New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a large gathering in Voorhees, N.J., during a town hall meeting Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Marco Rubio may not be the dream running mate for Mitt Romney that he has been made out to be. The results of a Public Policy Polling poll released Thursday indicate that with Rubio as a running mate, Romney would actually lose traction against President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

If he picks Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee or Jeb Bush, however, he becomes a stronger candidate.

In a head-to-head match up against Obama, Romney currently trails the president by a 49-46 margin. But the poll found that the right running mate could boost his chances.

A Romney-Christie ticket ties an Obama-Biden ticket, with each taking 47 percent of the vote. Put Jeb Bush on the ticket, and it’s a 48-47 lead for Obama. With either Santorum or Huckabee as a running mate, Romney trails by just two percent, 48-46 percent.

But with Rubio, Paul Ryan, Ron Paul, or Sarah Palin on the ticket, Romney’s poll numbers actually slip. Running with Palin, Romney gives Obama the greatest lead, trailing by 7 percent. With Rubio he trails by 6 percent; with Ryan, by 5, and with Paul, by 4.

The numbers may be taken with a grain of salt, however, since several of those names have not even been floated. (RELATED: Full coverage of the Romney campaign)

Bush, Christie, Ryan and Rubio have all endorsed Romney, and served as surrogates for the likely nominee. But a Romney-Palin ticket seems all but impossible, and Ron Paul would be more likely to support his son, Sen. Rand Paul, for the veep spot. Huckabee, the Fox News host, has not been mentioned.

A CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday found that former Secretary of State Rice is Republicans’ first choice for Romney’s running mate, followed closely by Santorum. Christie and Rubio also ranked highly.

On the off chance that the U.S. Constitution were to suddenly and dramatically change, PPP has provided us with this very useful data point: Voters would have more confidence in Michelle Obama as the Commander-in-Chief than they would in Ann Romney, 47 percent to 36 percent.

Chris Christie | Vice President Pick | Mitt Romney | The Daily Caller

Need publication name posted near top with author please.

W

This article is once again another Mitt ROmney trap.

If Mitt Romney selects another white male as his running mate he is going to have real trouble beating Obama.

He needs to pick a strong conservative female or Allen West.

W

I also think West would be great!!!! Would add the race flavor to it and West speaks out!!!!!
Rubio is NOT a Natural Born Citizen...I must have sent Romney 10 e-mails so far telling him that he would loose the votes of everyone who believes in our Constitution if he picked Rubio.....

You know this poll and article is full of it for suggesting Jeb Bush! Barf, like anyone in the country would want to elect anyone related to the Bush family. Gag.

W

It'll be very telling to see in the coming days how Romney responds to Rubio's Republican version of the DREAM act. Does he get behind it or outright rejects it. Or does he write up his own version, but give a different name just to fool his supporters. Time will tell. In the meantime...

Will the real Mitt Romney please stand up.

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

He needs to pick a strong conservative female or Allen West.

W

Condoleezza Rice has been mentioned. I want Nikki Haley!

Originally Posted by googler

Will the real Mitt Romney please stand up.

And except the GOP nomination! The cheers are deafening! And I believe Mitt said he would veto the "Dream Scheme!"

"Ron Paul for Treasurer!" that would be too cool.

Why doesn't someone like Sen. Jim Demint get a mention for VP? Oh, that's right, he's a white guy that doesn't support any sort of amnesty for illegals. I'm sick of the media making the decisions on who the GOP should or shouldn't consider!