As the Republican presidential candidates head into the crucial Super Tuesday primaries, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that the long, nasty battle for the GOP nomination has had a "corrosive" effect on the party and its candidates. Forty percent of respondents said the primary season has left them with a less favorable impression of the GOP, while only 10 percent said the campaign has improved the party's image. Seventy percent of those surveyed — including a majority of Republicans — used negative terms such as "painful" and "uninspiring" to describe the nominating fight. How badly has the drawn-out process affected the GOP's chances in November?
The ugly campaign is dooming the GOP: This poll should give Republicans "heartburn," says Steve Benen at The Maddow Blog. Their candidates — especially the likely nominee, Mitt Romney — are steadily falling in the estimation of the public. President Obama has far higher favorability ratings than Romney and the gap is widening as the economy improves. "If that doesn't make Republicans nervous, they're not paying close enough attention."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.