Romney Tops Rasmussen Poll, Potential 2012 GOP Candidates, FOX News 12 for ’12 Series – Romney Declines Interview
He’s on top, again.
When the clock struck 12:01 AM on November 3, 2010 – the focus on election 2012 began and those in the polling business aren’t missing a beat. Rasmussen recently revealed who likely voters prefer as the leading choice among likely GOP presidential candidates…
[...] Asked who they would vote for if the Republican presidential primary were held today, 20% say Romney, 19% Huckabee and another 19% Palin. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Romney and Palin are tied among male GOP voters, while Huckabee has a slight edge among female voters.
In October 2009 when Likely Republican primary voters were given a choice of five potential presidential nominees, Huckabee led with 29% support, followed by Romney with 24% of the vote and Palin at 18%.
Rounding out the list of seven candidates chosen by Rasmussen Reports for the question, with their levels of support, are former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (13%), Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (6%), Texas Congressman Ron Paul (5%) and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (3%). Seven percent (7%) prefer some other candidate, and eight percent (8%) are undecided.
(emphasis mine)
New developments…
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who wasn’t included in the Rasmussen survey, is resigning from his position as House Republican Conference Chairman – a signal that he’s readying for a 2012 run. Pence recently sent a letter to colleagues in which he stated:
“As we consider new opportunities to serve Indiana and our nation in the years ahead, I have come to realize that it may not be possible to complete an entire term as Conference Chairman. As such, I think it would be more appropriate for me to step aside now, especially since there are other talented men and women in our Conference who could do the job just as well or better.”
Tim Pawlenty has been sending strong signals for awhile now that he’s going to get in the race and is pitching his meat-packing, blue-collar background.
Another quirky twist in presidential scuttlebutt is that of a possible Donald Trump candidacy. He may or may not be serious about a go at the White House, but given our nation’s dire jobless situation, hearing what he has to say can’t hurt. Here’s video of Trump on Greta Van Susteren’s show (FOX News) last night offering his businessman’s perspective on America’s waning manufacturing sector, our unfair trade relationship with China, jobs going to Mexico, NAFTA, etc. (Trump echoes some of the same concerns regarding China that Mitt Romney has been warning of since 2007):
For additional news on potential GOP candidates, beginning tonight, Bret Baier is airing a series of profiles on a dozen potential GOP candidates for 2012. His series is called 12 in ’12. Governor Romney declined to be interviewed.
The details:
Special Report with Bret Baier is launching a 12-day series on the topic called “12 in ‘12″ that each day will feature a profile of one of 12 Republicans who may launch presidential bids for the 2012 race. Exclusive interviews with 11 of the 12 candidates are planned for the profiles, which begin Thursday evening.
Those candidates include: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
McPike reports, “A thirteenth story is also planned with long-shots such as former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and others like Donald Trump.”
So, every possible 2012 Republican nominee covered? Looks like it. But Romney wasn’t willing to talk. “We’ve talked to them a number of times,” said Baier of Romney’s camp. “They’ve told me they are hesitant to do anything that has a 2012 connotation to it.”
So the series will air with no interview – although his 11 best competitors in two years will get to begin to make their case to the Fox News audience. Well, three of those 12 get to all the time, since they’re FNC contributors.
(emphasis mine)
Governor Romney has said many times that he would discuss 2012 considerations after midterm elections were over – possibly over the holidays – with his wife, Ann, and his family. This time around, it’s clear he’s going to do things his way.
► Jayde Wyatt
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I would really be happy to see Mitt ROMNEY in the Presidency of our country. He has ALL the Atributes to make a fine President……but as he says; he has to do it HIS way, talking w/ his wife, Ann, and family and over the Holidays. He is a very intelligent man….and would be an excellent Choice to lead our Country..
@Florence S. Sawyer
i totally agree florence! amen to what you said!
I think Governor Romney’s trying to work in the background while others are out in front for the next few months. But he is the best man for this job. It will take someone of Mitt Romney’s caliber to undo the damage done to this country by our current administration. He needs to have his network all in place. Hopefully he’s way ahead of me on this. We need this man to be President.
I cringe evertime I hear Pawlenty or anyone for that matter play up their own “Blue Collar” background as if that would make them better president. It smacks of class warfare. I hate it when the Dems do it and hate it more so when my fellow Republicans do it. Its divisive and harmful. And I have no doubt that is why they do it. Pawlenty does it to peel off the huddled masses in the primary. The Dems do it for the same reason in the general. We should not punish the successful, the job creators, those who have realized the American Dream by villainizing them in the campaign. We are going to need to pull together and NOT play this two Americas losing game.
Sadly Romney won’t be the guy to get the job done. He will be like every other typical centrist, war mongering neo con.
He won’t balance the budget because he won’t be willing to cut military spending. He will talk about cutting spending in DC but only for domestic programs (i.e. social security, bailouts etc).
He won’t shrink the size of our federal government.
He probably work on some reduction of taxes but we’ll have to see.
He “looks” presidential for sure. There is no question about that. Tall. Handsome. Business like. Good smile etc.
However he does not have the real principled character to make the really tough decisions.
The only people on the 2012 GOP Presidential Lists that would make the tough principled decisions:
Ron Paul
Gary Johnson
Not on the list but I wish Governor Chris Christie from N.J. would run.
He would be an awesome president simply because he’s doing what is right even when it means taking tons of flack for it from teacher’s unions and public unions in his state.
Ryan, get a copy of NO APOLOGY. You are sadly misinformed.
Are you kidding? Does Fox think the American public is moronic? How can a top-12 for 2012 not include Ron Paul? How can the man who is the source of the Tea Party movement be left off? How can the man with a political machine larger right now than ALL of the Fox 12 combined be left off? Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty is twice as big now as it was when he had the hottest campaign in 2007 and 2008. Ron Paul has hundreds of thousands of volunteers RIGHT NOW! None of the “Fox 12″ have any national organization. Bobby Jindal is “a contendah”? Mitch Daniels? I am a full-time political junkie. I have done nothing but political activism for the last ten years. But if my life had depended on recognizing the name of Mitch Daniels before I saw it identified as a former Gov. of Indiana in the “Fox 12″ I could not have identified this person. But he’s a Fox 12 Contender! Come on! Is this deja vu all over again for 2012 from Fox? Is this the Fox Memory Hole in action? Ron Paul doesn’t exist you see! His millions of supporters, far more motivated than ANY supporters of the “Fox 12″ don’t exist either. Fox has become a joke.