57% of Republican or Republican-leaning Voters Have Favorable Impression of Candidates

According to the Pew Research Center (link below), Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters are considerably more enthusiastic about the crop of the Republican Party's Presidential candidates than in years past.

According to the Pew Research Center, 57% of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters have an "excellent or good" impression of the group of men who will be vying for the Republican Presidential nomination. This compares to just 44% in May of 2011 and 50% in September of 2007, so the difference is quite substantial.

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Of the six men who are seen to be the top candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination (Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Ted Cruz), Mike Huckabee has the highest favorable rating amongst Republican voters at 54%. The further to the right you head amongst registered voters, the more popular Huckabee becomes - he currently enjoys the favor of 62% of conservative Republicans.

52% of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters view Rand Paul and Jeb Bush in a favorable light. The problem for Jeb Bush, however, is that 35% of Republican and Republican leaners view him in a negative light, which far surpasses the rest of the candidates in the field. Jeb Bush is especially unpopular with conservative Republicans, as 37% view the former Florida Governor in a negative light.

Marco Rubio has a 51% favorability rating amongst Republican registered voters, while Scott Walker (46%) and Ted Cruz (45%) have the support of less than half of the party's supporters.

As mentioned, Jeb Bush has the highest unfavorable rating amongst Republican and Republican-leaning voters at 35%. After that, Ted Cruz is next on the list at 25%, followed by Rand Paul (24%), Mike Huckabee (23%), Marco Rubio (20%) and Scott Walker (17%).

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One more interesting point from the report is how popular Marco Rubio and Scott Walker are amongst older Republican voters. A whopping 75% of these people view Rubio in a positive light, while 64% view Scott Walker in a positive light. Just 11% of these voters view Rubio in a negative light, while a tiny 6% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters over the age of 65 view Scott Walker in an unfavorable light.

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Whether or not the increased positivity in which Republican voters are viewing their party's candidates for 2016 will make a difference against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton remains to be seen, as she is still the clear frontrunner to win the Presidential election next year.

Source: Pew Research Center - Republicans' Early Views of GOP Field More Positive Than in 2012, 2008 Campaigns

Filed under: General Knowledge