Is the 'frustrating' primary campaign hurting the GOP?
Pew Research finds that the Republican nomination battle may be turning off the very voters the GOP will need to beat Obama next fall
Many independents — 29 percent of them, according to a new Pew Research poll — are souring on the Republican Party as they watch the "frustrating" battle for the presidential nomination play out in a series of gaffes and scandals. Only 10 percent of independents say their impression of the GOP field is getting better as the campaign drags on through debate after debate. A small majority of independents — 55 percent — say their views have been unaffected. Still, these independent voters will be crucial to a GOP victory over President Obama in 2012. Will this turn-off of a Republican race dampen the prospects of the eventual nominee?
Yes. And it may be Herman Cain's fault: A key reason for rising doubts about the GOP field is all the "recent coverage of Herman Cain's demise as a presidential contender," says Jon Cohen at The Washington Post. Among voters who say they heard a lot about Cain last week, a whopping 41 percent said their views of the GOP field are getting worse.
"GOP contest sparks deteriorating views of party's candidates"
Subscribe to 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
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yes. The process has become a circus: The "seemingly endless" polls and debates, says Paul Begala at The Daily Beast, "have produced a series of frontrunners who, as LBJ said of his Republicans of his day, couldn't pour pee out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel." And the GOP's new primary system will make matters worse, awarding early-primary delegates proportionally, rather than winner-take-all, and thus keeping alive even the most unelectable "right-wing candidates" well into the spring. That's not a recipe for winning swing voters.
"The GOP's voting rules may empower the party's ideologues"
Hold on. The Pew poll wasn't great for Obama either: Sure, the GOP has given itself a "self-inflicted wound," says Kyle Leighton at Talking Points Memo. But there's some "collateral damage," too. Twenty percent of independents say the GOP campaign has made them more critical of the president, compared to just 14 percent who say they like the president more because of the GOP race. The president is obviously vulnerable, and "a good Republican candidate would do very well against Obama." The problem? "That candidate might not exist."
"Pew: GOP primary hurting the party"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - impeachment Peanuts, record-breaking temperatures, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published