Posted on 12/10/2010 2:01:56 PM PST by speciallybland
John Engler, largely based on superior name recognition, is the top choice of Michigan Republicans to take on Debbie Stabenow in 2012. Among the more likely roster of potential GOP contenders Pete Hoekstra is the leader by a good margin with only Mike Cox also hitting double digits.
31% of Republican voters say Engler would be their first choice, followed by 24% for Hoekstra, and 12% for Cox. Rounding out the Republicans polled is Terri Lynn Land at 7%, Candice Miller at 5%, Mike Rogers at 4%, Thad McCotter at 3%, and Tim Leuliette at 0%. If Leuliette, who has shown the most public interest in running so far, somehow ends up in the Senate he will truly be able to say he started with nothing.
Engler has 72% name recognition and that's the main reason for his early lead. 59% of voters know Land, 58% know Hoekstra and Miller, and just 17% have an opinion about Leuliette. With voters who have an opinion about Hoekstra whether it's positive or negative he's actually the top choice of Republicans by a 32-30 margin over Engler. Given that an Engler candidacy seems very unlikely at this point Hoekstra's probably the early front runner on the Republican side if he decides to get into the race.
The numbers on the Presidential side are emblematic of the paradox that plagues Mitt Romney's potential candidacy: he does better than most Republicans with Democrats and independents, but the GOP base just isn't that enthused about him. The general election part of this poll earlier in the week found Romney trailing Barack Obama by only 4 points when the rest of the GOP hopefuls were all down by double digits. But when it comes to who GOP voters in the state want as their nominee Romney can only muster a tie with Mike Huckabee at 22%, with Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich just a little further back at 18% and 15% respectively. Ron Paul actually hits double digits in Michigan at 10%, with Tim Pawlenty at 3%, Mitch Daniels at 2%, and John Thune at 1% rounding out the Republican field.
We really need to get some movement on closing our primaries in Michigan.
It also shows why Huckster running along with a bunch of dwarves splitting conservatives could put Romney in.
Do you have any idea what needs to be done, and how it can be changed?
PPL is the Daily KOS poll, so I don’t put much, if any, credence into it, especially at this early point. I didn’t read the margin of error, but Palin is right there and Romney hails from your state.
Huckaboob ran last time and has his TV show. Sarah Palin will win the nomination if she runs. Romneycare is Obamacare and he can’t shake that.
This idiot poll looks like name recognition to me, and I include everyone named.
Beating Stabenow would be great. Too bad there wasn’t a Senate election there this year. Anyway if they win MI in 2012 it is a big boost in the effort to take back the Senate.
That’s a pretty dangerous idea. A closed primary might nominate someone remotely resembling a conservative and the voters are so dumb they would vote for him. /sarc /br’er rabbit mode
The grass roots just don't like him.
I do believe she could take Michigan over Romney (unless there are too many dem crossovers) if she comes out with her next brilliant move, a series of pure policy positions staking out the difference between her and Obama.
What the poll shows is that people like pissant, with their 1% candidates, could give us Romney.
As far as Stabenow goes, I’d like to see Rocky give it a try. Engler??? That can go either way.
Frankly I think anyone can beat Stabenow, my dog Madison could, but I don't think Land would win anything, she has done nothing as Sec Of State, including allowing Zero on the ballot, and the SOS offices are still a pathetic mess, long waits, high renewal charges for plates and a system that is generally a royal pain in the a%%, with a bunch of lazy union employees..
Romney, even with his father's name recognition as Governor here, could not possibly be at the top. This state is going red, once again, because the Gov and Michigan Govt has bankrupted it. Romney Care is similar to Obama Care and we want NO part of it. For the first time in my lifetime, people have woken up and are paying attention in this beautiful, overtaxed, over-regulated state. Empty businesses in almost every town and city show the problem is massive.
Unions have destroyed this state, and they bully the people here with govt consent. Ask the people that lost their jobs, their homes, and their money, why they came out in record numbers to give the GOP all high office appointments. Its about to happen again and possibly for generations. Granholm blew it big time. Heaven knows what else she has blown. We don't want a GOP Gov that is Granholm light.
Michigan, once a bunch of Obama suckers, has seen the light. Well, most of them, except the welfare population, and we can overcome that in 2012, just like we did in 2010.
And we will.
That was done by Jenny G.
He wasn't the briliant tactician he claims, otherwise she wouldn't have dominated for so many years like she did.
For your info Mitt Romney’s numbers have nosed-dived in Michigan as well:
OVERALL MODER CONS WOM MEN
May 31 37 56 32 45 31
Sept 28 30 36 27 30 29
Dec 10 22 22 23 22 22
Check out Colorado, Florida, Texas, Illinois as well and you will see Romney’s numbers have plummeted in several polls. Huckabee is now tied with Romney and Palin is within 4 points of Romney now whereas in September she was 13 points back.
The numbers are deceiving.
Just my gut feel.... I bet dollars to donuts Thaddeus McCotter throws his hat in the ring. Dr Steele that lost against Dingell would do just as well as the known names mentioned in this thread. After the way so many RNC types have behaved, I want a new face.
Thad might run with redistricting. He’s in a tough seat right now with “Detroit” moving more into the suburbs. Redford, Westland, Wayne, and Belleville are only getting bluer.
I like Thad McCotter, I am in his district, and let me tell you, he drives the bat sh!t crazy left, bonkers (more so than they already are)! It is incredibly funny to watch! Some of my leftie neighbors actually had a crying “Romper Room” moment when he won last month..haha!
And whenever I want to talk to him he is readily available. He is a good man, he really is. Whatever he decides to run for I will support.
Thats not really true, his district includes a huge hunk of Livonia and they are very red. Hes safe.
Since Michigan loses a seat, how are the lines going to be redrawn to get the extra 50K people, without damaging Mike Rogers or Tim Walberg, or helping Gary Peters. Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield and Dearborn Heights are very blue. Inkster and Romulus are so blue it can flip the district. The Dingell parts of Washtenaw County are nasty areas to the west. Does he add Waterford?
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