According to a recent Rasmussen poll, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) and President Barack Obama would be virtually tied if the 2012 presidential election were held today. The poll result is perhaps surprising, considering that during Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential bid for the Republican nomination the major media cast him as a dark horse with no chance of winning. But that was before the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008, the Obama Presidency, and the Tea Party movement of the past year.
Rasmussen surveyed 1,000 “likely voters” by phone over April 12 and 13 to gauge the current public attitude toward the constitutionalist congressman. The main question was: “If the [2012 presidential] election were held today, would you vote for Republican Ron Paul or Democrat Barack Obama?” The poll found that Barack Obama would get 42 percent of the vote and Ron Paul 41 percent — the 1 percent difference well within the poll’s margin of error.
The poll and its questions in their entirety break down as follows:
1* Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable impression of Ron Paul?
10% Very favorable
29% Somewhat favorable
18% Somewhat unfavorable
12% Very unfavorable
32% Not sure
2* In thinking about the 2012 Presidential election suppose you had a choice between Republican Ron Paul and Democrat Barack Obama. If the election were held today, would you vote for Republican Ron Paul or Democrat Barack Obama?
41% Paul
42% Obama
11% Some other candidate
6% Not sure
3* Is Ron Paul a divisive force in the Republican Party, or is he representative of a new direction for the party?
21% He is a divisive force in the Republican party
34% He is representative of a new direction for the party
45% Not sure
4* Does Ron Paul share the values of most Republican voters throughout the nation?
19% Yes
27% No
54% Not sure
To see Rasmussen’s report on its poll, click here.
It is also interesting to note that Barack Obama’s popularity has been in a downward slide during his Presidency to date.
On Congressman Paul’s side, things are different. With frequent television interviews, commentaries on the issues, and appearances in person — all of which have continued long past his campaign in the last presidential election — he has ample opportunity to keep in the public eye and make further clear his stands on behalf of the Constitution. There is nothing like being a “go to guy” for the media when observations on current affairs or a hot topic of the day is needed. He also has several books out that delineate his views and help to maintain his reputation for consistency and for constitutionality. Many voters like what Ron Paul is saying. And many voters are also becoming very concerned about what they see happening to their country since the last presidential election.
So perhaps it’s not really too surprising after all that according to a recent survey Ron Paul would be a very viable candidate for President were he to decide to run.
