Half of Conservatives Would Compromise to Get Economy Moving

By Sarah Mimms  //  September 25, 2011 | 9:33 a.m.
Updated: September 27, 2011 | 2:45 p.m.

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. -- A significant proportion of conservative Republican activists say they would be willing to compromise and vote for a candidate who does not follow party orthodoxy on social issues in order to get the economy back on track, according to a straw poll conducted at the biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference.

The National Journal Hotline/National Association of Home Builders Straw Poll showed conference attendees were evenly divided on whether they could support a presidential candidate who would improve the county's economic woes, but was also in favor of same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

The results were an indication that while the group overwhelmingly identified themselves as conservative, many were guided by practicality in their decision-making.

The group of 681 voting-age conference attendees surveyed here on Friday and Saturday, was split nearly down the middle over whether they would vote for a Republican presidential candidate who could solve the country's economic outlook, but who disagreed with them on key social issues.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the straw poll by a wide margin, taking 51 percent of the vote. Romney took 47 percent among voters who identified themselves as conservative, and a whopping 73 percent among voters who identified themselves as moderate Republicans.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was the only other candidate who scored in double digits among either group. Perry won 18 percent of conservative voters and 10 percent of self-described moderates.

Romney also won a majority among the 49 percent of delegates who said they would opt for electability over ideology when choosing a presidential nominee. Romney won 64 percent of those voters, while Perry took 18 percent. He did worse among those who said they wanted a presidential candidate with whom they were in complete ideological alignment. Among the 51 percent of voters who said they wanted someone with whom they agree, Romney won 38 percent. Perry took 16 percent, and former Godfather's Pizza executive and Rep. Ron Paul each took 13 percent. Romney's support in Michigan is significant, but he doesn't appear to have a lot of room to grow. Only 19 percent of straw poll voters who did not vote for Romney said the former Massachusetts governor was their second choice. Perry received the most votes from Romney voters asked for a second choice, receiving more than a quarter of the vote. The straw poll, conducted entirely by National Journal Hotline Friday and Saturday at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, is not a scientific survey, but it does indicate how conservative activists see the presidential contest.

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