Ron Paul Scores a ‘Favorability Fest’ in Des Moines Register Poll

Paul benefits from candidate ratings as well as federal department closure preferences

 

ANKENY, Iowa – Emerging details from a poll commissioned by the influential Des Moines Register newspaper announced this weekend reveal voter attitudes highly favorable to 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul.

 

Paul polls a strong second place garnering 18 percent, behind Newt Gingrich and ahead of Mitt Romney who have 25 and 16 percent, respectively.  Paul’s Iowa support has grown in the last three Des Moines Register polls from 7 percent in June to 12 percent in October to 18 percent presently.  Paul is also among those whose support did not wane over the period the poll was taken.

 

Poll details found here and here reveal that 15 percent of respondents reported seeing Paul in person within the last year, while 20 percent reported seeing Rep. Michele Bachmann.  Yet, Rep. Bachmann polls at a low 8 percent, less than half of what Paul polls.

 

With pizza baron Herman Cain having suspended his presidential run, Gingrich with 14 percent now leads among respondents who, regardless of whom they support, believe is most likely to have a scandal in the White House if elected.  Respondents said Paul with 2 percent, is among the candidates least likely.

 

Paul with 24 percent is regarded as the most principled candidate, 7 points ahead of Bachmann and a whopping 13 percentage points ahead of Gingrich.  Paul with 32 percent is deemed the most fiscally responsible, more than double his nearest contender Gingrich who garnered just 15 percent.

 

Paul with 17 percent is judged to be among the most socially conservative of all candidates, 7 percentage points ahead of Gingrich.  This is especially notable given that Rick Santorum – who is neither first nor second – makes family-friendly issues a cornerstone of his candidacy.

 

Paul in this poll is also given high marks for being among the candidates best able to bring about real change and among the candidates best able to turn the economy around.

 

New poll details also reveal broad support among Republican caucus goers for closing the federal departments of HUD and Education by measures of 60 and 54 percent, respectively, and 57 percent of respondents favor shuttering the Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Of respondents, 45 percent favor closing Energy, 42 percent favor eliminating the TSA, 36 percent favor getting rid of the Federal Reserve Bank, 34 percent want to shutter Commerce, and 32 percent want to close Interior.  These data are available in today’s print edition of the Des Moines Register.

 

Given that Ron Paul’s “Plan to Restore America” proposes eliminating five federal departments, and that he is the nation’s foremost Fed and TSA skeptic, information of this kind too bodes well for Paul’s candidacy.  Paul’s plan also calls for $1 trillion in spending cuts during year one of a Paul presidency, resulting in a balanced federal budget in year three.

 

These data are derived from the 401 likely Republican caucus goers and have a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent.