Poll: Obama Tied with Generic GOP Choice

Good news for Republicans: the party hasn’t even begun the primary process, and already it’s tied with President Barack Obama for the 2012 presidential race in a Gallup poll. The survey shows both the president and a generic Republican candidate have 45 percent support among voters.

The GOP has gained slightly from a year ago, when 44 percent of voters supported Obama, and 42 percent opted for the generic Republican option.

“It's a political maxim that in elections with a sitting president running for re-election, voters are not so much choosing between two candidates as voting for or against the incumbent,” writes Gallup’s Lydia Saad. “That is not to say it won't matter whom the Republicans choose as their standard-bearer, but perhaps it matters slightly less than it would in an open election.”