Some Republicans have voiced concern about what a heated, protracted presidential primary campaign could do to the eventual nominee. And a new
Purple Strategies poll in 12 key swing states bears out this worry.
More than half — 53 percent — of voters in the 12 states think the campaign is weakening the eventual nominee, while only 21 percent believe it’s strengthening the nominee. The numbers are a bit more even among Republican voters, with 44 percent saying the campaign is hurting the eventual nominee and 32 percent saying the opposite.
The 12 states include Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. President Barack Obama will have to take some, if not all, of them to win re-election.
The damage of the primary campaign shines through clearly in Mitt Romney’s favorability ratings. Among all voters, only 27 percent now have a favorable view of him, compared to 57 percent who view him unfavorably. That represents a substantial worsening from last September, when 32 percent of all voters had a favorable view of him, compared to 39 percent who had an unfavorable view.
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