Republican voters are split on whether Rick Perry’s hardline views on social security make him a better choice for president or a worse one.
One-in-five say they are more likely to vote for the Texas governor because of his opinion that the social security system is no better than a Ponzi scheme,
USA Today reports
But the same number say they would be less likely to mark their ballot for him, according to a Gallup Poll sponsored by the paper, that was taken after Monday’s candidates’ debate in Tampa.
The one thing the GOP voters are united on is that by a majority of more than two-to-one, they believe his position on social security would hurt him in a general election.
"It's not going to help him in the primary, and it would indeed hurt him in November," Republican strategist Charles Back told USA Today.
“If you criticize the Social Security program but have a solution that makes sense and that would preserve benefits for the currently retired and those near retirement, that it's not necessarily a political liability in the general election.
“But it looks to me like he has some work to do on the issue.”
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