Newt Crashes to Near Zero

IBOPE Zogby: Newt Crashes to Near Zero
Tuesday, 24 May 2011 12:06 PM

Support for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign has virtually evaporated, dropping to just 3 percent among likely Republican primary voters, a new IBOPE Zogby poll reveals.

That's down from 7 percent in a May 6-9 poll, meaning Gingrich has lost more than half his support in the new poll conducted May 20-23.

Asked to choose from among 13 possible GOP presidential candidates in 2012, poll respondents chose eight Republicans ahead of Gingrich, including several who, unlike Newt, have not announced their candidacy: Herman Cain (19 percent), Chris Christie (16 percent), Mitt Romney (11 percent), Ron Paul (9 percent), Sarah Palin (6 percent), Michele Bachmann (5 percent), Tim Pawlenty (4 percent), and Mitch Daniels (4 percent).

Gingrich was tied with Rick Santorum at 3 percent, and ahead of only Fred Karger, John Huntsman Jr., and Gary Johnson.

Even more ominously for Newt: When respondents were asked which of the 13 candidates they would "never vote for," Gingrich was cited the most, by 17 percent, while Christie, Cain, Pawlenty, and Daniels all received 1 percent or less.

In the May 6-9 matchup with President Obama, Newt received 36 percent support from all likely voters ­ Democrats, Republicans, and independents ­ compared to 47 percent for the incumbent. Today Gingrich gets just 30 percent to Obama's 48 percent.

"Newt Gingrich has certainly lost juice with GOP voters with his support dropping from 7 percent ­ respectable enough in a crowded field in early May ­ to 3 percent today," pollster John Zogby told Newsmax.

"It is not hard to see why. Among self-described conservatives he gets only 61 percent support in a matchup against President Obama, with 30 percent of this group saying they would vote for 'someone else.'

"By way of comparison, Sarah Palin gets 72 percent of conservative support against Obama, Rick Santorum gets 64 percent, Herman Cain 78 percent, Michele Bachmann 77 percent, and Tim Pawlenty 78 percent.

"Nothing is impossible, but it is hard to get from 3 percent in May to the nomination for someone who is so well known. He is certainly not Jimmy Who?"

Gingrich has recently drawn criticism for charging that Rep. Paul Ryan's deficit reduction plan is "right-wing social engineering," then shifting his position and saying he supports the plan.

Also, Gingrich was grilled by Bob Schieffer on Sunday's "Face the Nation" about $500,000 worth of jewelry the fiscal conservative bought from Tiffany's. Schieffer questioned whether holding a revolving charge account at Tiffany's for two consecutive years without paying interest on the debt was, as Gingrich claimed, the "normal way of doing business."


http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/poll-zogby-newtgingrich-campaign/2011/05/24/id/397525?s=al&promo_code=C552-1