Santorum’s Favorability Advances, Matches Romney Among Republicans
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Rick Santorum’s popularity has jumped since his Feb. 7 trifecta, matching Mitt Romney’s among Republicans, surpassing Romney among very conservative Americans and putting Santorum ahead in strength of sentiment, potentially an important factor in the GOP contest.
Romney also has gained some ground among strong conservatives, and both candidates are popular with six in 10 Republicans. But the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll finds both well below the levels of favorability enjoyed by front-runners in either party four years ago.
Santorum’s popularity has levitated to 61 percent and 67 percent, respectively, among Republicans and very conservatives, up from 48 percent in both groups last month. That follows Santorum’s wins in the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and Missouri’s beauty contest primary last week.
Notably, Santorum leads Romney in “strong” favorability among key groups in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates. Romney is seen strongly favorably by just 13 percent to 19 percent of Republicans, conservatives, very conservatives and conservative Republicans. Santorum reaches 33 percent strong popularity in the latter two groups, boosting him to a 26 percent strongly favorable rating among all Republicans, 9 points ahead of Romney.
Still Romney, while trailing Santorum among very conservatives, has clawed back some ground in this group, one in which he’s struggled to win consistent support. Fifty-four percent of very conservatives now see Romney favorably, vs. 43 percent late last month, his low this cycle.
Romney, who won the lightly attended Maine caucuses last weekend, has a 60 percent favorability rating among Republicans overall, essentially the same as Santorum’s, and 63 percent among conservative Republicans, compared to Santorum’s 69 percent.
These ratings indicate that both candidates are basically acceptable to majorities within their party. But at 60 percent and 61 percent among Republicans, Romney and Santorum’s ratings are well behind those of John McCain, who had 76 percent, and Rudy Giuliani, 71 percent, among Republicans in an ABC/Post poll in January 2008. Romney was at 58 percent in that poll, very similar to where he is now; Mike Huckabee was at 65 percent. In that same survey, Hillary Clinton had an 85 percent favorability rating among Democrats, Barack Obama 80 percent, John Edwards 72 percent — again all substantially higher than Romney and Santorum in their party today.
Beyond the GOP, Romney has improved among independents, the traditional swing voters in national elections. While a tepid 37 percent of independents see him favorably, that’s up from just 23 percent late last month. Santorum’s rating among independents is similar, 35 percent favorable, up by 9 points since an ABC/Post poll last measured his popularity in early January.
For comparison, Huckabee and Giuliani were in the low 40s in favorability among independents in early 2008, while McCain, Obama and Clinton all were viewed favorably by at least six in 10 independents, well over Romney and Santorum’s levels now.
OVERALL — Both Romney and Santorum have improved from last month in terms of their general popularity, but also face obstacles. Romney, whose favorability rating among all Americans went under water late last month, remains there, albeit by less of a margin. Thirty-six percent of Americans now see him favorably, 43 percent unfavorably; it was 31-49 percent in late January.
Santorum’s in a bit better shape, but perhaps because more have yet to form an opinion of him. Thirty-six percent of Americans see him favorably, identical to Romney’s rating; fewer, 31 percent, see Santorum unfavorably. A substantial 33 percent have no opinion of Santorum one way or the other; that’s eased from 44 percent last month, with the shift almost all in his favor.
Romney’s favorability rating among all Americans now is similar to his 34 percent in January 2008. As is the case among Republicans and independents, other candidates in 2008 were more popular with the public overall than are Romney or Santorum today: Obama, 63 percent; McCain, 59 percent; Clinton, 58 percent; Edwards, 57 percent; Giuliani, 46 percent; and Huckabee, 42 percent.
Among other groups, reflecting patterns of partisanship, Santorum and Romney both are more popular among higher-income, middle-aged and older Americans and whites, compared with their counterparts.
METHODOLOGY — This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cell phone Feb. 8-12, 2012, among a random national sample of 1,009 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points. The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling, data collection and tabulation by SSRS/Social Science Research Solutions of Media, Pa.
Best Commencement Speeches of 2012 
Joe Biden Recalls Death of Wife, Daughter
I think conservatives are so desperate for anybody to believe in at this point, that Atilla the Hun could come back to life and they’d cheer him on.
Posted by: tstorm | February 14, 2012, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
This is the weirdest, ugliest, and most Taliban-like conservatives ever to infilitrate the Republican party. I wouldn’t vote for one of these right wing, freedom-hating mongers for anything!
Posted by: tstorm | February 14, 2012, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
Poll: The republican base went so far right they fell off a cliff.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | February 14, 2012, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
Try googling Santorum. See what the #1 hit is. ewwwwww.
Posted by: max | February 14, 2012, 3:52 pm 3:52 pm
Damn, Jon Huntsman, why did you leave? I was hopeful when you were around. I’m not voting for anyone this year now, I’m just not feeling any of these weirdos including Obama. It’s an official abstain for me.
Posted by: Kim2C | February 14, 2012, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
When JFK was elected, the great American worry was that he would use the Presidency to further the goals of the Catholic church on American politics. Santorum openly runs on this. I don’t believe that in the presidential election that a majority of Americans will choose a person for President of the United States who intends to push religion. There’s a reason that America was founded on separation of church and state. What a royal mess that would be. The government cannot be in the business of furthering one religion’s influence over any other’s. If you doubt that what I say is true, check out Santorum’s position of birth control, not just for Catholics, but for all of America——-He says it’s a great evil. 98% of American women say that they have used contraception. How would you like to wake up one day and find that your state had outlawed it? Or find out that it had suddenly become harder to get? Why should his religion effect your rate of pregnancy?
Posted by: karela | February 14, 2012, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
Great, just what we need: another radical extremist in charge!!
Posted by: looncraz | February 14, 2012, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
The Pope is ecstatic! …. “Vatican States of America”, here we come… LOL!
Posted by: Forrest Gump is DEFINITELY a Republican | February 14, 2012, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
I don’t like him….he’s not nearly inclusive enough. A good leader brings people together instead of using a class warfare strategy.
Posted by: newcountryman | February 14, 2012, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
The idiot leads the dumb and the dumb love the idiot.
Posted by: neastsider | February 14, 2012, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm
Looks like the Republicans are guaranteeing Obama a second term….
Posted by: Working_Class | February 14, 2012, 4:19 pm 4:19 pm
Woohoo! You go, girl! Come on GOP, don’t disappoint here. Keep this momentum building for Santorum. We need a real ‘pelvic politician’ to run on the Right. One who clearly has his priorities, and they all start just below the waist. So come on Republicans, chant with me: SAN TOR UM, SAN TOR UM, SAN TOR UM, SAN TOR UM, SAN TOR UM, SAN TOR UM. What would make this absolutely perfect is if he were to pick Palin as his running mate. But I KNOW that’s too much to hope for….. :(
Posted by: Disgusted with gop | February 14, 2012, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
I thought Obama was a goner this election. Then the Republicans launched their presidential campaign. Wow. Santorum? That’s the best you got? Bush/Cheney really did trash your party, maybe as much as they trashed the country.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | February 14, 2012, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
Six years ago, Santorum ran for his third Senate term in Pennsylvania. He lost by 18 percentage points, the largest defeat by a Republican US Senator seeking re-election in that state’s history.
Santorum’s focus on cultural issues did not sit well with independent, suburban swing voters in Pennsylvania. His focus is no different today.
Considering the size of Stantorum’s defeat in his OWN STATE, how can the GOP believe this man has the remote possibility of winning over moderate and independent voters across the country?
Posted by: green.goddess | February 14, 2012, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
I predict Santorium will not get the Republican nomination.
Posted by: newcountryman | February 14, 2012, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
You don’t want government interfering with your life? Don’t vote for Santorum…. then you will have the government AND religion interfering in your life!
Posted by: TroyS | February 14, 2012, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
I suppose it depends who they ask. Anyone willing to strip me of my rights as a woman is not “favorable” to me.
Posted by: msyellarose | February 14, 2012, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
We in PA know the Santorum who moved his family out of the state to a wealthy neighborhood in Va. when he was elected, yet continued to charge the taxpayers in their old working-class school district in PA for his childrens’ cybereducation. We know him as an immoral weasel. And, we also know about his wife’s history before she married Rick. Neither of them is fit to set foot in the WH.
Posted by: Don | February 14, 2012, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
The Pope is ecstatic! …. “Vatican States of America”, here we come… LOL!
POSTED BY: FORREST GUMP IS DEFINITELY A REPUBLICAN***********
How about replacing the bald eagle with the sea gull?
Posted by: michael | February 14, 2012, 5:32 pm 5:32 pm
GOP is broken. Has been broken, & is now just so obvious that it is very funny. Very funny because they are shooting themselves so bad in the foot in the past oh what 12 years…& now the chickens have come home to roost. lol. No GOP for 10 years, let’s give them some air to rethink what life is about & what this country is about…GOP needs to just stop making up stories to fit their small thinking. really they need a spanking. And I do believe God is giving them one right now.. they’re toast & should be for all the lies & deception. It makes me sick to watch them. I wish they had more going on upstairs. But they don’t. How are they still around?
Posted by: MrE_mann | February 14, 2012, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
Obama will win in a landslide….unless Jeb riggs the votes in Florida & we have hanging chads & the Supreme Court making the decision. Then we’re screwed! GOP is fun to watch , until they come to close to winning, then it’s very scary …The US cannot stand another term like 2000-2008. That would be the end of US.
Posted by: MrE_mann | February 14, 2012, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
a conservative cannot defeat obama. two conservatives tried in 2008 and mccain/palin were humiliated in a landslide defeat. conservatives take heed and learn from the past if you want to have a chance at defeating obama. conservatives might nominate a strict conservative but that conservative will not defeat obama by any stretch of the imagination. the goal of all republicans should be to defeat obama and not to just nominate a conservative.
Posted by: david | February 14, 2012, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Sanatarium has NO chance against Obama. None.
Posted by: Jim Bob jr. | February 14, 2012, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
@Max – I did Google ‘Santorum’ and you’re right DOUBLE EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
@Disgusted With GOP – That’s funny!!!
Posted by: SF | February 14, 2012, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm
Not for me it hasn’t. This guy can single-handedly send millions of loyal Americans to Canada.
Posted by: mitch eisenman | February 14, 2012, 6:02 pm 6:02 pm
BOTH COMPLETE IDIOTS!
Posted by: jack | February 14, 2012, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
It’s nice that people are letting out their emotions early. Once they have exhausted themselves, they will have time to think. Then Rick Santorum will end up in the trash heap with the others who fell by the wayside. What interests me is what the GOP cartel will do when Mitt Romney is the last man standing. John McCain found out 4 years ago. Will they make the same stupid mistake? Ron Paul should hope so.
Posted by: Wayne | February 14, 2012, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
Who wants Santorum or Romney leading the U.S. to a right wing extreme agenda against our freedom and rights? Both have made the most horrible statements that anyone with common sense sees for the lies they are. Romney has been on both sides of every issue while Santorum is so far right he thinks he is the Pope and wants this country to be more like a right wing regime than America where we all have our opinions. The GOP is actually attacking birth control. It is unbelievable what the GOP keeps coming up with like their agenda against Medicare and Social Security. Nothing would please them more than to end these great programs for Americans.
Posted by: Vicki | February 14, 2012, 6:51 pm 6:51 pm
Wow, got a lot of Libs here. Should have figured being ABC. Go Santorum. All the way to the White House.
Posted by: George Stripe | February 14, 2012, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
Go Sanitarium! Guaranteed win for Obama. Yeaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jim Bob jr. | February 14, 2012, 7:42 pm 7:42 pm
Obama budget ignores the mess our economy is in. Greece is just a small microcosm of what is in store for us. I checked the government’s own web site, Treasury Direct from 2000 to 2012, and found that Bush increased spending 3,478 trillion in 8 years. In Obama’s 4 years, spending increased a whopping 5.993 trillion and he did not have to contend with 911 or Katrina. The graph on the page shows it even more blatantly. Meanwhile, we are borrowing more than 10 billion a day and owe upwards of 15 trillion. I am voting for Romney, the only person with the experience in business and government, working with the opposition, 85 percent democrat, and able to appeal to independents, moderates and conservatives. The only one who can beat Obama.
Posted by: Mrs D | February 14, 2012, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
MRS D: “Obama budget ignores the mess our economy is in.”
The budget President Obama proposed invests in stimulating growth and rebuilding our nation AND PAYS FOR IT with a modest tax increase on the top 1.5% (those with incomes of $250,000 a year or higher) and large corporations (who have been raking in record profits for years, eliminating jobs, and are currently SITTING on trillions in pure profit/cash).
Just yesterday, ABC reported 1.3 trillion in “deficit spending” in his budget, then noted that by ending the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000 a yr and raising taxes on large corporations, 1.5 trillion in REVENUES would be raised (more than covering the proposed spending…which would NOT then be “deficit spending”, now would it?) Those simple, painless measures (ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers and modestly raising taxes on giant corporations ) ELIMINATES the annual deficit.
“the mess our country is in” is the result of almost a decade of supply-side economics and other Republican policy (including FOREIGN policy). Since Obama took office, we’ve replaced over 3.2. million of the 8.75 million jobs we lost under Bush and in the 6 mths or so after he left office. We’ve had 23 uninterupted months of private sector job GROWTH, and this month saw the highest number of job postings since Aug. of 2008.
“Bush increased spending 3,478 trillion in 8 years. In Obama’s 4 years, spending increased a whopping 5.993 trillion and he did not have to contend with 911 or Katrina.”
LOL, no. Obama just had the RECESSION, 2 WARS, already out of control DEBT, and the BUSH TAX CUTS (80% of which went/go to the top few percent and which have been draining our treasury and failing to create JOBS since their implementation). Oh, and of course, the BP spill and a few record years of natural disasters (swaths of tornados devastating multiple states and a 100 yr drought in Texas).
Further, Obama has not HAD “4 years”. He has not even had THREE yet in terms of “spending”, since for his FIRST year, the nation was operating on the last budget BUSH signed.
FTM, Obama, as President, has not spent a penny (and neither did Bush) since only CONGRESS has the authority to spend.
Further still, during the Bush administration, the cost of the wars was kept largely off the books, not being submitted or approved as part of the budget but as special appropriations, as needed. That changed once Obama took office, and all those costs were reflected in the annual budget, causing the immediate appearance of “more spending”.
Regardless, most economists agree that the stimulus averted a full-blown depression and the evidence that it DID work (3.2 million and counting private sector jobs worth, at any rate) is incontrovertable.
Kevin Phillips (a former Nixon advisor) wrote a book years ago entitled “The Politics of Rich and Poor” in which he clearly demonstrated the long history of Republicans building up debt while in office and then suddenly becoming terribly concerned about it when the Democrats took over. (sound familiar? It should.)
He noted that there was a method to their madness; by building up massive debt while in power (usually by spending/slashing revenues in ways which benefitted their base and cronies; tax cuts for the rich and big business, military and other government contracts, corporate welfare, bail-outs of a private sector they deregulated and allowed to be robbed blind by white-collar crooks) the Republicans sought to tie the hands of the Democrats when they inevitably regained power.
They could then point to the debt and scream about it and oppose spending which benefitted the poor, the elderly, workers (you know, the REST of us) or any other progressive programs which didn’t divert taxpayer money to the private sector/the pockets of their cronies.
Bush was not kidding when he “joked” that his base was the “haves and the have mores”. Or, to a room full of wealthy venture capitalists hoping to cash in on lucrative Iraq war contracts, “some call the elite. I call you my base.”
Posted by: RAVEN | February 14, 2012, 10:14 pm 10:14 pm
Looks like Romney has been playing a political Whac-a-Mole.
There are no favorites in this game, that’s for sure.
Posted by: michael | February 14, 2012, 10:30 pm 10:30 pm
Wow, got a lot of Libs here. Should have figured being ABC. Go Santorum. All the way to the White
House. POSTED BY: GEORGE STRIPE *******Sure thing, I have a couple of spare rooms in
my white house. Though he’ll have to feed the dog.
Posted by: michael | February 14, 2012, 10:36 pm 10:36 pm
Santorum seriously lacks experience, tolerance, humility and common sense! His “Christian” supporters (biggoted preachers) have and will continue to make it impossible for him to seperate church and state!
Romney has been a success as governor, at the Olympics and in business— which is all on record. He has volunteered countless hours in community service, donated millions of dollars to charity and has earned the respect of his friends, family and all who take the time to get to know him. There are many stories of his generous, selfless service!!! How many bosses would shut the doors of their business, fly all the employees to New York and search for a missing teen on drugs. That’s just one example of his character (and by the way, he was successful at that as well and was given credit for saving that girls life)!
Romney is a multi-millionaire who doesn’t have old debts to pay once he makes it to the White House. Romney is the only candidate with the experience, knowledge and temperment of a TRUE LEADER! If we compared job resumes (Obama, Santorum, Gingrich and Romney’s) Romney would win the position of president easily! If only people could think clearly, putting their pride and prejudices aside so they could see the truth!!!
TOO MUCH RIDES ON THIS ELECTION… AMERICA MADE A MISTAKE LAST TIME—WE CAN’T AFFORD TO REPEAT THE MISTAKE!
BELIEVE IN AMERICA— VOTE FOR ROMNEY!
Posted by: 4TrueNews | February 14, 2012, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm
You owe it to yourselves to take a fair, unbiased look at Ron Paul and consider what he proposes.
Posted by: Aaron Ververs | February 14, 2012, 11:10 pm 11:10 pm
Go ahead, nominate Santorum as the republican choice for President. Yes indeed, do so to guarantee an Obama victory.
Posted by: john locke | February 15, 2012, 12:01 am 12:01 am
Somewhere in the future, an unethical writer will make money writing a book that claims the Tea Party was created for the purpose of reelecting Obama. Of course it’s not true, but look at the number of people who still believe Ralph Nader was paid by G W Bush to run in 2000, which go Bush elected. The Tea Party’s effect on producing such distasteful GOP candidates is doing the same for Obama. In 2008, I predicted that the economy would need so long to recover that whoever won, Obama or McCain, would not get reelected in 2012. But I never foresaw the Tea Party or the real Conservatives in the GOP letting the far-right go this far.
Posted by: The_Mick | February 15, 2012, 4:11 am 4:11 am
Any of these folks would do a much better job than the welfare idiot we have now. Obama is a hard left marxist that has destroyed the economy and hurt the middle class. He is an ACORN community organizer, he only cares about welfare handouts that have bankrupted the country.
Posted by: 90210 | February 15, 2012, 11:02 am 11:02 am
Santorum is a delusional wacko. His lastest statements indicate that he has a clear idea about the way that sex is “supposed to be”, and his efforts as POTUS will encourage that. Seems to be much more focused and obsessed with our sexuality as a nation than our economy, jobs, taxes, education, or foreign policy. It boils down to whether you prefer your gov’t in your bedroom or in the boardroom. Do we want our POTUS regulating our sex lives, really?
Posted by: Dr. Bubba | February 15, 2012, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm