What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls

Rasmussen...
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, February 04, 2012

Mitt Romney’s victory in Florida put him back on top as the clear frontrunner in the race for the GOP nomination. Rasmussen Reports and others had accurately projected Romney’s victory in advance but the fact that he got more votes than Gingrich and Santorum combined still caught many observers off guard.

Romney is expected to win big in Nevada today and has leads in the next two primary states—Michigan and Arizona. A commentary by Larry Sabato and his colleagues, however, suggests, that the race for the Republican nomination is unlikely to end any time soon. Michael Barone adds that Romney Faces Tough Opponents in a Long War.

Rasmussen Reports has begun daily tracking of the possible Obama-Romney match-up and is updating numbers for other GOP candidates on a rotating basis.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported this week that the federal budget deficit is projected to reach $1.1 trillion in 2012. That number is troubling enough but the reality is much worse. The United States will actually go about $4 trillion further in debt during the year. Scott Rasmussen’s new book does just that. The People’s Money: How the American People Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt highlights solutions to the nation’s fiscal crisis that can be supported by voters. He also argues that the nation’s politicians created the budget crisis by pursuing their own agenda and ignoring voters.

While much attention has been focused on the GOP race, the current trends may be President Obama’s friend. For the first time in more than two years, Democrats have a lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot. The president’s Full-Month Approval Rating reached its highest level since June and 48% give Obama positive marks on leadership.

Driving this is improving consumer confidence and improved confidence in the labor market. The Rasmussen Employment Index moved up to a 15-month high. Also, 29% now say the U.S. is heading in the right direction. That’s up from 24% a month ago and 16% the month before that.

One trend not working in the president’s favor is that that the number of people who consider themselves Democrats has fallen to a new low.

This weekend, more people will be watching football than politics. Fans are evenly divided as to whether the Giants or Patriots will win this epic showdown. But Super Bowl Viewers Don’t Think Madonna’s Good Choice For Halftime Show.

Other highlights from this past week:

77% Know Someone Out of Work and Looking For A Job

69% Oppose Efforts to Increase Those on Food Stamps

39% Say Unions Bad for Business, 31% Say Good

53% Favor Fingerprinting Requirement For Food Stamp Applicants

Policing the World: A Commentary By John Stossel

79% Give Their Boss Positive Marks

69% Say Domestic Animals Are Treated Well In The U.S.

5% Say Congress Doing Good or Excellent Job

74% Favor Right-to-Work Law Eliminating Mandatory Union Dues

52% Say Overhaul of All Health Care Costs Needed to Salvage Medicare

81% Describe Their Workplace As Positive