Yikes! Mitt is Historically the LEAST Popular Presumptive GOP Presidential Nominee

Well gee, I could have told you that.

But Gallup’s got evidence.

An April 4-9 Gallup poll surveying Republicans and GOP-leaning Independents showed Romney has 42% support of these voters, which is “historically low for a winning candidate.”   More from Gallup’s poll analysis:

“Romney’s 42% support in the final 2012 nomination preference poll ranks among the lowest Gallup has measured for a nominee in its final poll since 1972.

Specifically, no other Republican winner in the primary era has had as little as 42% support in Gallup’s final measure of nomination preferences, with George W. Bush’s 57% in 2000 the lowest before now.

Across both parties, only George McGovern had less support among a winner in either party, being the preferred nominee of 30% of Democrats just before the 1972 Democratic convention. Jimmy Carter, who was supported by 48% of Democrats in 1980 as he sought re-election, is the only other nominee who was below 50% support in the final nomination preference poll.”  Copyright © 2012 Gallup, Inc.

Oh, yikes.

And since Mitt is “presumed” to be the nominee, and even though the hard numbers don’t finally and completely support it (see more about those numbers nobody wants you to know about right here), and without a final delegate count dated August 30th to conclude the nomination process…. those of us who support another candidate are now supposed to give up the game, walk off the field, and kowtow to support Mitt?

I don’t think so.

With approval numbers this bad, someone really needs to convince conservative Republicans and Independents that Mitt can beat Obama in November before we’ll prematurely jump on the Mitt bandwagon.  And if you’re going to try and convince us, do it with merits.  Don’t bother saying what we’ve heard over and over again, “Because Mitt’s the only one who can win!”   Give us substance.

See Gallup’s historical details for yourself here:

Support for Presidential Nominees in Contested Nomination Campaigns, Final Gallup Preference Polls, 1972-2012

Table image Copyright © 2012 Gallup, Inc.

And for the naysayers…

I’ll support our GOP nominee when he or she has secured the official vote at the RNC in August.  Until then, I’m sticking with the facts and the most conservative guy who’s still in the race.  See more about the hard numbers necessary to secure the nomination here.

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Creative Commons License photo credit: Gage Skidmore

Michelle Morin is a conservative blogger and speaker for freedom and America’s founding principles. Join her for updates here.

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