Poll: 93% have a favorable opinion of Ron Paul
Date published: May 24, 2012
He hasn't won a single state primary or caucus, yet Ron Paul soldiers on in the 2012 GOP presidential race. The most recent results from our Political.com poll indicate that an overwhelming 93% of respondents have a favorable opinion of Ron Paul, which transcends party affiliation. Paul has been the U.S. Representative for Texas's 14th congressional district, which includes Galveston, since 1997, and a three-time candidate for President of the United States: as a Libertarian in 2008 and as a Republican in 2008 and currently in 2012.
He is an outspoken critic of American foreign and monetary policies, including the military–industrial complex and the Federal Reserve, and is known for his libertarian-leaning views, often differing from his own party on certain issues. 82% of voters say they are very familiar with Paul’s position on key issues, while 17% said they were somewhat familiar with them.
The mainstream media continue to discount Ron Paul as a factor in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination, even though he and his supporters could become contenders when the convention meets in August. Based on our poll results, 93% of voters (comprised of high percentages of Democrats, Republicans and Independents) believe he is qualified to serve as the next president. Additionally, 79% think he made the right decision to join the race for the Republican nomination.
Paul continues to rack up delegates in such states as Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. He recently announced that he would not be competing in any other Presidential primaries, though he is still competing for delegates in states where the primary election has already been held. 43% of poll respondents still think it is likely that Paul will win the Republican nomination, while 32% say it’s unlikely, and 24% are unsure. Interestingly, when asked which Republican candidate you’d support for the GOP nomination (choosing from Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul), 90% support Ron Paul.
Thanks to a record level of federal debt, mounting concern about deficit spending, and multiple foreign conflicts, Paul and his anti-Federal Reserve, anti-interventionist, small-government message are keenly relevant in this year's election conversation. When asked if the country would be better or worse off than it is under the Obama Administration if Ron Paul were elected president, 90% said it would be better off with Ron Paul in the Oval Office. Were Paul to actually win the GOP nomination, 92% of poll respondents say they’d cast their vote for him.
Given the delegate math, it's improbable that Paul could attain the nomination. So why stay in the race? He appears to have considered such questions. "Politicians don't amount to much," Paul once said, "but ideas do." His message of liberty tempered by personal responsibility, and government power tempered by accountability has mobilized both young and old, and is sure to have an impact on the Republican Party moving forward.
This poll was conducted online among 8,662 adults nationwide. After the poll was completed, the data was processed through a weighting program to insure that the sample reflects the overall population in terms of age, race, gender, political party, and other factors. The processing step is standard among polling agencies and is necessary because different segments of the population may answer more than others.
