Mitt Romney photo

Romney Campaign Press Release - Washington Times: Romney Strong, Gingrich Struggles Among Conservative Voters

February 06, 2012

"Newt Gingrich says he is the conservative choice in the 2012 presidential race, but five states into the campaign, Mitt Romney has won more self-identified conservative voters, according to an analysis by The Washington Times of entrance and exit polls. Mr. Romney capped off that showing with a win in Nevada that included support from a majority of self-identified conservatives, a feat neither Mr. Gingrich nor the other two remaining candidates have been able to accomplish."

"GOP Voters Belie Gingrich's Claim To Conservative Mantle"

The Washington Times

By Seth McLaughlin

Sunday, February 5, 2012

http://www.washingtontimes.com

Newt Gingrich says he is the conservative choice in the 2012 presidential race, but five states into the campaign, Mitt Romney has won more self-identified conservative voters, according to an analysis by The Washington Times of entrance and exit polls.

Mr. Romney capped off that showing with a win in Nevada that included support from a majority of self-identified conservatives, a feat neither Mr. Gingrich nor the other two remaining candidates have been able to accomplish.

"He may be more conservative than Romney, but that does not mean that he is winning over more conservative voters," said Mark Rozell, a political science professor at George Mason University. "The primary voters are not aligning themselves solely on the basis of ideology. They are looking as well to electability, character, leadership ability, among other factors. So being to the right of the front-runner is not enough to convince conservative voters to pick a Gingrich."

The data out of Nevada added to the mounting evidence that shows Mr. Gingrich is struggling to convince conservative voters that he is more ideologically in sync with them than Mr. Romney and represents the party's best chance of unseating President Obama in the general election.

...

Exit polls in Nevada showing him winning just over 50 percent of voters who identified themselves as "very" or "somewhat" conservative and easily defeating Mr. Gingrich — 49 percent to 24 percent — among very conservative voters.

Those results signal trouble for Mr. Gingrich, who has argued in recent weeks that if conservatives stop splitting their votes between him and Mr. Santorum that "Gov. Romney at that point will start losing badly."

...

"The split isn't 80-20 to Gingrich," Mr. Sabato said. "The estimates vary, but Gingrich would be lucky to get even 60 percent of Santorum supporters. Newt might even get less than a majority. You can argue about the specific proportions, but there is no question about one thing: Chances for a conservative consolidation behind Gingrich are nil. It isn't going to happen. Gingrich has too many critics on the right. Some regard him as an inconsistent conservative, while others have had conflicts with him or dislike other aspects of his past."

...

He also has portrayed Mr. Gingrich as unreliable and too erratic to lead and highlighted the 2008 global-warming awareness TV spot he cut with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as Mr. Gingrich's ties to Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage giant that many conservatives blame for the housing crisis.

...

So far, though, conservatives seem more inclined to support Mr. Romney, leaving Mr. Gingrich looking for answers as the race heads toward contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Maine.

"Gingrich is trying to find different angles around Romney's growing momentum so he can head him off at the pass in upcoming primary states," said Ron Bonjean, a GOP consultant. "According to the polls, it isn't clear that he is the conservative alternative; rather, he's trying to say something to muddy the waters."

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - Washington Times: Romney Strong, Gingrich Struggles Among Conservative Voters Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/300133

Simple Search of Our Archives