--- title: "Republican Candidates Stir Little Enthusiasm" description: "Overview The emerging Republican presidential field draws tepid ratings. Just a quarter of voters (25%) have an excellent or good impression of the possible GOP candidates, and a separate survey conducted jointly with The Washington Post finds that negative descriptions of the field far outnumber positive ones. Asked for a single word to describe the […]" date: "2011-06-02" authors: - name: "Alec Tyson" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/republican-candidates-stir-little-enthusiasm/" categories: - "Barack Obama" - "Election 2012" - "U.S. Elections & Voters" datasets: - name: "May 2011 Political Survey" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/may-2011-political-survey/" --- # Republican Candidates Stir Little Enthusiasm ## Table of Contents 1. [Republican Candidates Stir Little Enthusiasm](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/republican-candidates-stir-little-enthusiasm/markdown) 2. [Section 1: The 2012 Election](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/section-1-the-2012-election/markdown) 3. [Section 2: Candidate Traits and Experience](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/section-2-candidate-traits-and-experience/markdown) 4. [Section 3: Views of Obama](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/section-3-views-of-obama/markdown) 5. [About the Survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/about-the-survey-50/markdown) ## Overview The emerging Republican presidential field draws tepid ratings. Just a quarter of voters (25%) have an excellent or good impression of the possible GOP candidates, and a[ separate survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/01/top-reaction-to-gop-field-unimpressed/) conducted jointly with *The Washington Post* finds that negative descriptions of the field far outnumber positive ones. Asked for a single word to describe the GOP field, the top response is “unimpressed.” ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2011/06/Traits1.png) Of the party’s best-known possible candidates, only Mitt Romney has broad potential appeal. Large majorities have heard of four possible Republican candidates – Romney, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. But most who have heard of Palin and Gingrich say there is no chance they would vote for them (63% each). About as many (60%) say there is no chance they would support Paul. By contrast, far fewer voters (44%) who have heard of Romney have ruled out voting for him, while 51% say there is at least some chance they could support the former Massachusetts governor. The latest national survey by the Pew Research for the People & the Press, conducted May 25-30 among 1,509 adults (including 1,227 registered voters), finds that Barack Obama continues to hold a sizable lead against a generic Republican opponent in next year’s election. Currently, 48% of registered voters say they would like to see Obama reelected while 37% would prefer to see a Republican elected. This is little changed from March (47% to 37%). Obama’s job approval rating, which rose after the killing of Osama bin Laden, remains positive. Currently, 52% of the public approves of his job performance while 39% disapprove. Last fall, after his party’s weak showing in the midterm elections, as many disapproved as approved of the way Obama was handling his job as president (44% each). Obama’s personal image also remains strong. Large percentages continue to view Obama as a good communicator (75%) and warm and friendly (73%), and more see him as a strong leader than did so in January (58% now, 53% then). The new survey finds that among the Republican candidates, Herman Cain has made a positive impression on the relatively small share of voters – mostly Republicans – who have heard of him. Just 33% of voters have heard of Cain. Among them, 23% say there is a good chance they will vote for the former business executive and another 25% say there is some chance they would vote for him. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2011/06/Traits2.png) Among the 44% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who have heard of Cain, 39% say there is a good chance they would vote for him, while 35% say there is some chance. Nearly twice as many Republican voters have heard of Romney (85%). Among this group, 32% say there is a good chance they would vote for him and 43% say there is some chance. Smaller majorities of GOP voters who have heard of Palin, Gingrich and Paul say there is at least some chance they could support them (57% Palin, 56% Gingrich, 50% Paul). Roughly four-in-ten Republican voters say there is no chance they would support Palin (39%), Gingrich (38%) and Paul (42%). At this early stage in the race, Republican and Republican-leaning voters express mixed views of the possible GOP field as a whole: 44% say the possible candidates are excellent or good, but about as many (43%) say the party’s candidates are only fair or poor. Republican voters had only a somewhat more positive view of the GOP field at a later point in the 2008 campaign. In October 2007, 52% rated the candidates as excellent or good while 43% said they were only fair or poor. Republican voters’ current ratings of their party’s possible candidates are comparable to Democratic voters’ ratings of their party’s candidates in September 2003. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2011/06/traits3.png) The survey finds that in assessing traits and characteristics of presidential candidates, the public values prior experience as a governor or business executive more than experience as an elected official in Washington. Nearly four-in-ten Americans (37%) say that, in general, they would be more likely to support a candidate who has been a governor, just 5% say they would be less likely to support such a candidate and 55% say it would make no difference. Past experience as a business executive also is seen as an asset; 35% say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who has been a business executive, although 14% would be less likely to support such a candidate; 49% say it would make no difference. The public has mixed views of a presidential candidate who has been an elected official in Washington for many years. As many say they would be less likely to back such a candidate (25%) as more likely to support them (26%). During the last presidential campaign, long experience as a Washington politician was seen more positively. In February 2007, 35% say they would be more likely to support a candidate with long-time Washington experience compared with 15% who said they would be less likely. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2011/06/traits4.png) As was the case during the last campaign, prior service in the military is viewed very positively. Nearly half (49%) say they would be more likely to support a candidate who has served in the military, the highest percentage for the 14 traits and characteristics listed. Among traits perceived negatively, 61% say they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who does not believe in God, which is little changed from four years ago. A past extramarital affair is viewed even more negatively today than in 2007: Currently, 46% say they would be less likely to support a candidate who had an extramarital affair, up from 39% in February 2007. A third of Americans (33%) say they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who is homosexual, which is sizable decline from 2007 (46%). In the new survey, 62% say it would not matter if a candidate is homosexual, up from 51% four years ago. --- **Next:** [Section 1: The 2012 Election](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/06/02/section-1-the-2012-election.md)