CNN Poll: Gender Gap And Likeability Keep Obama Over Romney [9-Point Lead For Obama]

CNN ^ | April 16, 2012 | Paul Steinhauser

[Steelfish]

CNN Poll: Gender Gap And Likeability Keep Obama Over Romney

CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser

(CNN) - President Barack Obama holds a nine-point lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney thanks in part to the perception that the president is more likeable and more in touch with the problems facing women and middle class Americans, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday also indicates a large gender gap that benefits Obama, but the public is divided on which candidate can best jump-start the economy.

Full poll (pdf)

According to the poll, 52% of registered voters say if the presidential election were held today, they would vote for the president, with 43% saying they would cast a ballot for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is making his second bid for the White House. The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, a few days after former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania suspended his bid for the GOP nomination. Even though former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas continue their long-shot bids for the nomination, Romney is now generally considered the presumptive nominee.

The survey indicates women voters back Obama over Romney by 16 points (55%-39%), virtually unchanged from an 18-point advantage among women for the president in CNN polling last month.

The poll was conducted two days after Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Hilary Rosen created a controversy by saying that Ann Romney "never worked a day in her life."

"That remark may have little long-term effect on women voters," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "By a two-to-one margin, the women surveyed saw President Obama as more in touch with the problems facing American women today."

[Bellflower]

95% of his campaign is being soooooo likeable. If we can crack that egg, we can fry him.

[Bellflower]

Forget the catastrophic deficit. Ignore foreign policy disasters, a lost Middle East, and a nuclear Iran. Don’t worry tyranny and dictatorship. Vote “likeability” — it’s what matters.

Your words, with apropos clips, should be a campaign ad. Shame people for being so stupid!

[matthew fuller]

Interviews with 1,015 adult Americans conducted by telephone
by ORC International on April 13-15, 2012. The margin of
sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or
minus 3 percentage points. The sample also includes 910
interviews among registered voters (plus or minus 3.5 percentage
points).

[newzjunkey]

The only person who came close to bridging the yawning gender gap...

Uh... Santorum's defeats came largely on his lack of support from women voters.

With "friends" like him and Rush it's no wonder the Obama's been able to launch a "war on women" front in his reelection campaign.