As the Republican Party continues its search for a candidate who can beat President Barack Obama, a new poll of swing states finds that Mitt Romney would likely outperform Rick Perry in the general election.
ThePurplePoll, conducted by Purple Strategies, surveyed the so-called “purple electorate” in “the 12 states that are most likely to determine whether President Obama will win re-election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin.”
Obama has some trouble in those states, but neither Romney nor Perry (the two frontrunners and the only two candidates surveyed) is particularly well-liked.
Taken as a whole, 53 percent of voters in the “purple” states said they disapprove of the job Obama is doing as president, while 41 percent approve.
Perry and Romney, however, both have upside down favorability in the states. Twenty-four percent of voters said they had a favorable view of Perry, while 44 percent had an unfavorable view. Romney’s numbers were slightly better, with 32 percent saying they had a favorable opinion of him and 39 percent saying they had an unfavorable opinion.
Matched against Obama, Romney would lead 46 percent to 43 percent in the states, according to the poll. Among independent voters, Romney leads Obama 48 percent to 39 percent.
Obama, however, has a narrow lead over Perry in the swing states, taking 46 percent to Perry’s 44 percent. Among independent voters, Perry trails Obama 41 percent to 46 percent, performing significantly worse than Romney.
Obama polled highest in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin — the states that make up “the heartland.” His approval rating there is 46 percent approval, and 47 percent disapproval. In the three states he leads Perry by 9 percentage points and Romney by 4 percentage points.
“The southern swing,” made up of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, is where Obama is the weakest. His approval rating is just 39 percent, with 54 percent disapproval. He trails Romney by five points, and ties with Perry.
The poll is based on automated telephone interviews with 1,360 Americans from September 17 to September 26. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.