PERRY ON TOP!! CARL J. KELM
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904875404576532513364379084.html
Two national polls show the newly arrived Rick Perry blowing past his rivals, suggesting Mr. Perry has real strengths (and a few weaknesses).
Two national polls show the newly arrived Rick Perry blowing past his rivals. And while the Texas governor’s numbers may drop as the vetting process continues, they suggest that Mr. Perry has real strengths (and a few weaknesses).
According to Gallup, Mr. Perry now leads the Republican presidential field with 29% of the vote. Mitt Romney, who was ahead up to this point, has fallen to 17% (he was at 23% in July and 27% in June), while Michele Bachmann has fallen to fourth place with just 10%. Ron Paul, meanwhile, took 13%.
A second poll, this one conducted by PPP, had similar findings. They put Mr. Perry at 33%, Mr. Romney at 20%, and Ms. Bachmann at 16%. All other candidates were in single digits.
Associated Press
In some respects, Mr. Perry looks very competitive. The Gallup poll showed him doing well with all age groups but dominating among seniors, who back him over Mr. Romney by a 40%-16% margin. The Texan likewise does well with frequent churchgoers (as well as those who occasionally or rarely attend church) and self-proclaimed conservatives. Even among moderate and liberal Republicans, Mr. Perry only trails Mr. Romney by four percentage points.
Both polls suggest that he has work to do, however. For starters, Mr. Perry remains mostly a regional candidate. Gallup finds that the East and Midwest are toss-ups between the top four Republicans, while Mr. Perry leads the West by six percentage points and the South by a whopping 27 points. PPP concludes that Mr. Perry, while strong with Republicans, is weak with independents. Its survey showed him losing to President Obama, 49%-43%. The reason? Just 29% of independents view the Texas Republican favorably versus 55% who don’t, and they break in favor of Mr. Obama by a similar margin.
Look for Mr. Romney to cling to an electability lifeline.
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