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
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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
