Poll: Mitt Romney is a 'Center-Right' Candidate

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets supporters at an election night rally.

 "Electoral fundamentals" favor Republicans in the November elections, according to the latest poll sponsored by the conservative advocacy group Resurgent Republic.

"American voters' top priority remains the economy, and they overwhelmingly believe the country is stuck in a recession, President Obama's economic plan is not working, and that it's time to try something else," according to a summary E-mailed to reporters. "....We will see how voters' views change over the six months leading up to the 2012 election, but as of today President Obama could not win a referendum on his leadership and his record."

Sixty percent of voters chose a "conservative" definition of economic fairness, which the pollsters defined with the statement: "Fairness is making sure everyone pays their fair share, and no one gets bailouts, preferential treatment, or special favors from political cronies." The alternative "liberal" defininion, preferred by only a minority of voters, was, "Fairness is making sure the wealthy pay their fair share by increasing their taxes, eliminating loopholes, and giving up special deductions."

Several of the findings of the Resurgent Republic survey run counter to perceptions promoted by President Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

The group found that, "It is Barack Obama, not Mitt Romney, who is viewed as outside the ideological mainstream." Fifty-eight percent of voters see Romney as a "center-right candidate," while 60 percent view Obama as a "candidate of the left." Voters in general, and independents in particular, view themselves as "somewhat conservative" or "moderate."

Nearly three-fourths of the electorate—72 percent—believes the nation is "still in a recession." And three-fourths of voters say their family's financial situation "is no better off than four years ago," according to the poll.

Ken Walsh covers the White House and politics for U.S. News. He writes a daily blog, "Ken Walsh's Washington," and is the author of "The Presidency" column for the U.S. News Weekly. He can be reached at kwalsh@usnews.com and on Twitter.

• Republicans: Obama a Hollywood Hobnobber
• Ron Paul: My Appeal Goes Beyond the GOP
• Check out U.S. News Weekly: an insider's guide to politics and policy.

Reader Comments Read all comments (5)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.