Romney/Perry Republican Showdown Update: Christie’s Out of the Presidential Picture, Recent Poll Shows Romney Has the Lead
Posted by erik devaneyCourtesy of blogrunner.com
With Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey now officially out of the running, all eyes are once again on former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, and Governor Rick Perry of Texas.
A month ago, Perry experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, surpassing front-runner Romney in a September 1st Washington Post-ABC News public opinion poll. Among announced candidates, which excluded Christie and Sarah Palin, Perry led the Republican field with 29%. Romney was in second place with 25%.
However, some shaky debate performances and unfavorable policy stances (including supporting in-state tuition for illegal immigrants) have caused Perry’s popularity to wane. It is likely that Perry’s slip — coupled with an overarching dissatisfaction with the Republican presidential field — was a major impetus in the recent surge of GOP support for Christie to enter the race.
For the past few weeks, political pundits have been speculating — ad nauseam — about a potential Christie bid for the presidency. However, Christie announced in a recent press conference that he would not be running. “For months, I’ve been adamant about the fact that I would not run for president,” the New Jersey Republican stated. “For me, the answer was never anything but ‘no.’”
The new numbers from an October 2nd Washington Post-ABC News poll show that support for Perry has dropped by 13 points, from 29% in September to 16%. Romney, meanwhile, has recaptured the lead by holding steady with 25%.
Coinciding with Perry’s dip is a significant increase in support for businessman, Herman Cain. While Cain was polling at just 4% in September, the new numbers have him tied with Perry at 16%.
All of these recent shifts in the Republican field did not go unnoticed by the Twittersphere:
Prior to Christie stealing the spotlight, Romney and Perry had been making headlines by trading some very public blows. One notable example was when Romney labeled Perry, “Governor Sub-Zero,” in reference to Perry’s record on job creation. Perry struck back with an online video ad, which accused Romney of flip-flopping his stance on healthcare.
Most recently, Romney has coined a new phrase to attack Perry’s campaign with: “Perry scheme.”
“The problem is not that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. The problem is keeping it from becoming a Perry scheme,” Romney said during a visit to The Villages retirement community in Florida. The phrase pokes fun at Perry’s earlier comments about the failure of the country’s Social Security program, when Perry infamously referred to the program as “a Ponzi scheme.”
Related posts:
- MA Governor Deval Patrick Dishes on a Potential Chris Christie Presidential Bid; Talks Up President Obama’s Plans for Job Creation
- Perry Vs. Romney Round 2: The Battle of the Online Video Ads
- Romney contrasts business experience with Perry
- The Granite State Gets a Visit from Two GOP Presidential Contenders Tuesday
- Romney to Address Veterans Convention in Texas
Short URL: http://www.newenglandpost.com/?p=4981
Posted by erik devaney
on Oct 5 2011. Filed under Politics.
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