Back in early May, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he “can probably be talked into” running for the Republican
presidential nomination in 2012. A new poll has done some “talking.”
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released on Friday found Giuliani leading the pack of potential GOP candidates with 16 percent of the vote among Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP.
Mitt Romney is second with 15 percent, followed by Sarah Palin (13 percent), Ron Paul (12 percent), and Herman Cain (10 percent). The other potential candidates had single-digit percentages.
“Call it a sign of how unsettled the GOP presidential field remains: Two of the three people at the top of a new national poll in the battle for the Republican nomination may not even run for the White House,” CNN observes. Romney is set to announce his candidacy next week, while Palin and Giuliani’s intentions remain unclear.
When asked who would be respondents’ second choice for the nomination, Giuliani remained strong with 14 percent, trailing only Romney’s 15 percent.
But respondents in general aren’t thrilled with the field of Republican candidates. Only 16 percent of those polled said they are “very satisfied” with the potential candidates, while 45 percent are “fairly satisfied” and 39 percent are “not very satisfied” or “not satisfied at all.”
As for Republicans who have stated that they will not run, 48 percent of respondents say they would like to see Rep. Paul Ryan run, 45 percent favor the candidacy of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 40 percent would like Texas Gov. Rick Perry to run, and 39 percent want former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to seek the White House.
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