Is Rubio Key to Securing the 2012 Florida Vote?

Posted on May 8, 2012
by PollHeadlines

Florida has always been an important swing state to win, we all remember the cries of “recount!” from 2000, and Florida is going to play just as important a role in the upcoming 2012 general election. Carefully selecting a running mate is always an important decision and many are wondering who Romney will select and how they will benefit him in the swing states. Mitt Romney the inevitable Republican nominee is still rummaging through his fairly long, short list for Vice President, and a name that continues to be brought up is that of Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio has many qualities that would make him an ideal running mate, but could the appointment of a relatively inexperienced Vice President cause more division for Romney in the 2012 Presidential elections.

Winning over the Hispanic vote is essential, and while some would think putting Rubio on the ticket could help sway the much needed 2012 swing state votes especially in Florida and the Southwest states having Rubio on the ticket might be just as polarizing as it is beneficial. Rubio is a Cuban American and in recent political polls show that over half of Mexican Americans living in the Southwest have never even heard of him. Putting him on the presidential ticket only had around 20% of Mexican Americans considering  voting Republican according to the latest polls. Rubio may not even be beneficial to Romney in Florida the state he represents. According to recent polls less than half of Floridians have a favorable opinion of Rubio. In Recent Obama vs. Romney polls adding Rubio onto the ballot didn’t help to boost Romney with the Hispanic vote, and was still shown to be in a dead heat with Obama. Also adding Rubio to the ticket may shift the attention too much to immigration when Republicans want the focus to remain on the economy. While Rubio has many supporters and is seen as a knowledgeable and poised individual Romney may want to play steer clear of running with a relative novice in the national race, this tactic backfired for McCain. Instead many are now pushing for Romney’s VP pick to come from another battleground state Ohio, placing Portman onto the national ticket could help boost Romney’s numbers in the 2012 Ohio polls a state that could be pivotal in the race to the white house. Romney’s decision is still up in the air however and he still has a long list of potentials to sift through.

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Close Races Beginning in Presidential Swing States

Posted on May 4, 2012
by PollHeadlines

As negative ads begin to air across the nation, the 2012 presidential elections are gearing up to one of the most hard fought and negative elections in a decade. With the nation showing an even distribution on their opinions concerning Obama job approval, and indecisiveness over if they view Romney favorably, the race is boiling down to who can sway the voters in the all important swing states. Yesterday several swing state polls were released showing Obama vs Romney in a virtual tie in Ohio and Florida. Several electoral projection maps have been highlighting likely electoral wins for the 2012 election making it more evident that ever how important the swing states are, especially for Romney. Republican candidates typically start on a slightly lower platform since Democrats generally snag the large electoral votes from California and New York. The latest election prediction maps have Romney starting at a approximately 170 base platform compared to Obama’s 241 this leaves around nine states up for grabs that are essential for both candidates to reach the necessary 270 votes.

One of the highlighted swing states in the news this week is Virginia. The latest Washington Post poll shows that Obama has a slight lead over Romney with a  51-44% advantage. Most Virginians say Obama’s views as more in line with their own. This is due to the fact that Virginia was a rather overlooked state in the Primary, neither Santorum nor Gingrich made it onto the ballot for the 2012 Republican primary meaning Romney did little campaigning there and voters simply don’t know him.Romney is trying to rectify that and is  campaigning heavily in Virginia. He has even gained the support from former opponent Michele Bachmann as well as the popular Virginian Governor Bob McDonnell to help close the gap between himself and President Obama. With recent political polls showing the vast majority of each political base already firmly behind their respective candidates it will be more crucial than ever to sway independent voters in swing states. Now all they have to do in the upcoming months is prove that they will do a better job in running the country than that other guy.

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Bin Laden Presidential Ad Inappropriate or Good Campaigning?

Posted on May 1, 2012
by PollHeadlines

As the anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s downfall was celebrated yesterday, a mild controversy has begun over President Obama’s newest presidential ad that highlights the President’s decision to implement the attack that lead to Bid Laden’s death. Individuals have said that this event shouldn’t be one to polarize the American people, but in the often times messy business of politics is this ad really crossing the line?  The Obama TV ad calls into question Romney’s ability to make the same tough choices if he became President this tactic of the hypothetical is not new and has been used by Republicans and Democrats alike, additionally highlighting an achievement of a political term especially one that was popular with the American people is expected during presidential campaigns so is the outrage justified?

President Obama’s approval ratings were at their highest point after the killing of Bin Laden, and making the most of a presidential achievement that was favorable on both sides of the aisle is a smart political move.  This ad is a direct response Hilary Clinton’s 2008 viral “3am video” which questioned whether Obama had the experience to answer and make the right decisions when the tough call came, this video was later used by the McCain campaign to instil doubt about Obama’s experience. Obama’s “one chance” video shows he has made the tough call when the fateful phone call came and has even spun it to question Mitt Romney’s ability to make those same kind of decisions. This tactic in itself is not out of line but rather a normal part of presidential elections. Name calling and negative political ads have been running throughout the 2012 Republican primaries, and they aren’t going to stop til the ballots are cast in November. The latest presidential polls show Obama vs. Romney in a dead heat, playing up individual successes and casting doubt upon your opponent is part of the political game.

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Electoral Map Shows a Tight Race

Posted on April 30, 2012
by PollHeadlines

As the the political heat has been turned up as we shift from the 2012 Republican primaries and into the 2012 presidential election it’s been clear that this will be a hard fought and close election. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than by taking a glance at the 2012 election map. In following the 2012 political polls it’s clear that people are more divided than ever and that makes Mitt Romney’s road to the White House all the more difficult. Republican candidates haven’t received more that 300 electoral votes in the past two decades, and a look at the 2012 election predictions show Romney with a narrow electoral ceiling of around 290. This leaves very little room for error specifically 20 electoral votes, making the poll results in the much coveted 2012 swing states all the more valuable. In order to secure the win Romney would need to secure the same swing states that Bush won in 2000, these included Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, Ohio and Florida. Unfortunately though the political map has shifted significantly since 2000. All of the above states except for Missouri are considered tossups in the upcoming race and recent polls are putting Obama with a slight advantage. Additionally certain states that were definite wins for Bush, such as New Mexico, are almost certain to go to Obama. Under the new 2012 election map, Romney has a very small margin of error, and will have to work even harder to win over states that used to be give a ways such as Virginia and North Carolina. The silver lining for Romney may be that he may have a higher staring point to begin with than McCain in 2008. Indiana looks like it will go red this year giving Romney a more elevated starting point for his 2012 presidential run. This election will be close for both candidates and keeping an eye on the swing states will be vital for both Romney and Obama.

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Biden Attacks Romney’s Dated Foregin Policy

Posted on April 27, 2012
by PollHeadlines

Joe Biden may be a much more valuable asset as Obama begins to campaign for the 2012 presidential election than previously thought. In a recent speech to New York University students Biden praised Obama’s foregin policy efforts and used the opportunity to paint Romney’s policies as outdated and that implementing Romney’s policies would  lead us into situation similar to the current one we are in  with Iraq a position that is unpopular with the majority of the population according to the latest 2012 polls. This is one of five speeches that the Vice President has made highlighting key moments of the last four years and we are just beginning to see why you shouldn’t underestimate Biden’s campaigning skill.

Foreign Policy and Domestic Relatability

Biden is originally from Scranton PA. and his far reaching populist support is going to become more useful than ever when connecting to the needs of blue collar workers from the rust belt and as the current swing states polls show tight races in those areas this influence will be vital. In addition to the boost he can bring by relating to middle class voters in swing states Vice President Biden also has extensive foreign policy experience from working on the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee. So when Joe Biden begins to make campaign stops along the 2012 election map battle ground states don’t underestimate his ability to boost Obama’s ratings in the Obama vs Romney polls.

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Using Super PACs to an Advantage

Posted on April 25, 2012
by PollHeadlines

A recent poll conducted in Utah has shown that a majority of people hold Super PACs in a very negative light. The polling results revealed that close to 70% of people felt that allowing for unlimited donations will lead to corruption voters are highly suspicious and critical of  Super PACs and some candidates running for 2012 house and governor elections are using this skepticism to their advantage. However running on a platform targeted to individuals skepticism and perpetuating their beliefs about how unlimited finances turns to corruption and shady behavior will still be an uphill battle. President Obama succumbed to using Super PACs once it became clear that not taking advantage of this newly available campaign tool would be disastrous for his reelection efforts. While some candidates were able to run successful campaigns against Super PACs like the one conducted by Utah’s Orrin Hatch  in his states Senate election, the majority of candidates will be unlikely to pull of this kind of victory. Senator Claire McCaskill from Missouri is trying to run on the anti-Super PAC platform but will have to do so while combating more than 3 million dollar of negative campaign ads bought by the Super PAC that wants to see her replaced. Even though the latest political polls show a vast majority of the population dislike the use of the Super PAC it can be almost impossible to run against their large reaching influence.

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Why the Primaries are Still Important

Posted on April 24, 2012
by PollHeadlines

Tonight five states will hold their 2012 Republican primaries as well as several state redistricting battles for 2012 House Elections. While Mitt Romney has already all but secured the GOP nomination for president it is easy to forget there are two other candidates running, but maybe for not much longer. While Newt Gingrich has insisted that he is in the race til the Florida convention there are new publications to indicate that if Newt does poorly in Delaware a win all primary state he will most likely suspend his campaign for president. Aside from just seeing if one of the looked over contenders for the Republican nomination will succeed tonight’s primaries will let us see if Republicans are ready and willing to back their enviable candidate Romney. Recent political polls are showing a 90% backing from the base party and Tuesday’s primaries could reaffirm or negate these results.

Battle for Control of the House

While Tuesdays primaries will serve a rather minor role in the 2012 General Election they will be important if you are keeping close tabs on Pennsylvania’s 2012 House Elections. Do to redistricting of several Pennsylvania districts Democratic primaries will determine who  will face tough races against their GOP opponents. With the Republican dominance that happened during the 2010 elections there is several generic congressional polls to speculate on which party will control the house come 2012, and these primaries may paint a picture to how some of the swing states will play. Pennsylvania is a classic swing state and viewing the Tuesday primaries with a lens for the general election may help us see how Pennsylvania will shift during the November elections.

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Search for Romney’s Second

Posted on April 23, 2012
by PollHeadlines

Mitt Romney has currently placed Beth Myers a veteran Romney aide in charge of the delicate and crucial task of finding the ideal running mate for Romney. The name dropping of potential VP contenders so early in the 2012 presidential race could provide a number of benefits for Romney’s poll numbers. Placing a variety of prominent names on the countertop could help stir up interest with voters who are less than enthusiastic about the current Republican nominee. One of the more prominent names that has been thrown into the arena is that of Marco Rubio the Florida senator that has recently endorsed Mitt Romney. Rubio is currently campaigning with Romney in Pennsylvania and despite earlier VP denials Rubio is now remaining mum on the topic. Its no secret that Romney is struggling in the recent polls amongst Hispanic voters and picking Rubio as a running mate may help him considerably with his less than impressive polling results amongst Latino voters.

No Republican candidate has ever won the Presidential election without winning Ohio, which may be why most Republican insiders are shifting their focus to Rob Portman as the man to place in the Vice President position. Portman an Ohio Senator is a respected conservative who also  has experience working in national campaigns, but maybe his best quality comes in the fact that he is not well known among Republican voters. While McCain in 2008 chose a high risk candidate to drum up support for his campaign and for Women’s votes, it ultimately back fired. Romney has proven he is not the gambler that McCain was, and most of his advisers are looking for a “boring” VP pick. Portman has already proved he can be a valuable addition to the Romney campaign as his endorsement help Romney secure the tough fought Ohio primary.

More rumors are sure to come about who Romney will eventually select to be his running mate in the upcoming 2012 general elections but more than likely no announcements will be made until the forthcoming days leading to the Republican convention. Until then we shall just have to speculate on who will be the most beneficial running mate to stir the Republican base for Romney.

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Battle for “swing states” begins in Ohio

Posted on April 19, 2012
by PollHeadlines

Ohio has been an essential “get” every election year, having the 7th most electoral votes and the ability to go from red to blue easily make it one of the most heavily campaigned states in the nation. The Ohio voters however are less than enthusiastic this election year as neither candidate seems to be reverberating well with the largest Ohio demographic, the white working class. The economic recovery promised by President Obama has been too slow especially with people and companies facing bankruptcy and foreclosure. While the economy has gotten better in Ohio the too little too late sentiments make it difficult to get voters enthusiastic about the incumbent president. The presidents job approval ratings have been split evenly, and many are hesitant to vote for him fearing the economy could start to slip. Romney on the other hand faces his share of struggle in Ohio for very different reasons. To middle class Ohio voters Romney comes off as elitist and out of touch, many are reluctant to trust the man who comes from corporate America with corporate money in off shore bank accounts. Romney’s narrow win over Rick Santorum during the Republican primaries shows he has a lot of work to do amongst the working class and evangelical voters.

Backup Plans

The latest presidential tracking polls have been showing a neck and neck race between Romney and Obama and both candidates are adding even more Ohio campaign centers to increase their popularity and enthusiasm for the general election at large. Campaign strategists at both parties know how important winning Ohio is for presidential hopefuls, in fact no Republican candidate has won the presidential election without winning Ohio. However there are other swing states to focus on with large numbers of electoral votes up for grabs. Both parties are preparing now to win with or without Ohio.

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Winning Over the Hispanic Vote

Posted on April 18, 2012
by PollHeadlines

While the GOP is attempting to repair the gender gap that has grown during the Republican primaries another important voting bloc is  being targeted by both sides of the aisle. The Hispanic population is one of the nations fastest growing minorities representing around 16% of the US population. They also constitute an essential block of voters in “swing states” where the presidential nominees will have to win over a large portion of around 40% the Hispanic vote to win the up for grabs delegates in the 2012 Presidential Election.

Obstacles for both candidates

Both Mitt Romney and President Obama are upping their campaign efforts to reach out to the Hispanic vote. Recent polls have shown that Hispanic voters favor Obama by an almost 40 point difference. This may be due to Mitt Romney’s effort during the Republican primary to appear more conservative. Romney endorsed a controversial Arizona immigration enforcement law as a quote “model” for the nation, and stepped even further to the right that other nominees Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich on immigration legislation. While it is very unlikely that Obama will lose the Hispanic vote to Romney, this year is going to be much more challenging than the 2008 elections when the Hispanic vote was overwhelmingly Democratic. Latino votes were crucial to several swing state wins for President Obama, but this year’s election lacks the enthusiasm that helped drum up support in 2008. The latest presidential polls are already showing that this year is going to be tightly contested. Both candidates will need to court and win over the essential Hispanic vote if they want to come out on top in November.

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