New Poll Shows An Unknown GOP Field

By Sean Sullivan  //  April 21, 2011 | 11:19 a.m.
Updated: April 25, 2011 | 10:55 a.m.

Republican voters haven't formed strong opinions about most of the party's potential presidential candidates, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. And nearly 60 percent of Republicans can't point to a candidate about whom they are enthusiastic in a nascent and slow-starting GOP presidential campaign.

As the Times notes, only those who have been making regular television appearances or have run in the past are well-known enough to draw strong views.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is the best known in the survey; 51 percent of Republican voters said they had a favorable opinion of Palin, while 26 percent view her unfavorably. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), who ran for the Republican nomination in 2008, had the highest favorable rating among the Republicans surveyed. 54 percent of GOPers said they had a favorable opinion of Huckabee while 11 percent had an unfavorable view of the former Arkansas governor.

35 percent had a favorable view of Donald Trump, who has been on media blitz of late, while 32 percent had an unfavorable view and 33 percent were undecided. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was viewed favorably by 42 percent and unfavorably by 20 percent.

It's all down hill from there. Fully 43 percent don't have an opinion of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who announced his presidential exploratory committee last week. Just 42 percent had a favorable opinion of him while 15 percent had an unfavorable view, even as most observers believe he's the front-runner.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), who also recently announced his presidential exploratory committee, did not elicit strong opinions in the poll: 77 percent did not know enough about him or were undecided, while 20 percent had a favorable opinion and 3 percent had an unfavorable opinion. 93 percent of those polled did not have an opinion of U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman. That number was 88 percent for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), 85 percent for Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), 76 percent for former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and 75 percent for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). Over half of the GOP voters polled also identified themselves as Tea Party supporters, the Times reports. The poll of 524 registered Republicans was conducted April 15-20 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percent.

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