S.C. Primary Results: Mitt Romney Faces Enthusiasm Problem

WASHINGTON -- If Mitt Romney does manage to limp to the nomination sometime this spring or summer, the former Massachusetts governor may face an enthusiasm problem, if South Carolina exit polls are any indication.

Thirty-one percent of people who said they voted for Newt Gingrich said that if Romney ultimately takes the nomination, they would not support him in general election. The same was true of 40 percent of Ron Paul backers.

Among all voters, a full 12 percent said that come November, they will not be backing Romney.

Whether they stick by their pledge or not, the promise to stay home speaks to a lack of excitement for Romney, at best, and outright hostility toward him at worst. Even if voters do come out on election day merely to cast a ballot against President Obama, the lack of enthusiasm means few volunteers, fewer donors and fewer conversations with neighbors.

In South Carolina, at least, much of that standoffishness may have to do with religion, and particularly Romney's Mormon faith. An exit poll found that of the 60 percent of voters who cared a great deal about religion, 46 percent backed Gingrich and 19 went with Romney. For the rest of voters, Romney won, 39 to 32 percent.

 

 

Comments

[l78lancer]

10:14 PM on 01/22/2012

A lot also depends on whether there is an open convention where the different factions can have their voices hard on the floor or a closed convention where back door deals piss off the players and people come away feeling jilted. If Romney is not the clear winner and Gingrich's fans feel screwed they will not crosss over and back Mitt.

You can also count on Paul's supporters to not back Romney no matter what.

[l78lancer]

09:58 PM on 01/22/2012

He's ALWAYS had an enthusiasm problem.

What else is new?

[galactictravelerjavjav]

01:59 PM on 01/22/2012

Hillary backers said the same thing when President Obama was beginning to look the likely nominee.. The disdain these folks have for our sitting president will bring them back to fold no matter who their nominee is.

[nia122]

05:14 PM on 01/22/2012

This is very different. Hillary supporters were hung ho. The Regressives are not passionate about anyone. Besides, Obama supporters were hung ho too.

[galactictravelerjavjav]

11:35 PM on 01/22/2012

They are passionate about replacing the man in the White House for reasons that seem off the wall to me. I had the same passion in '04 and lost to their reason.

They will come back

[Bruckley]

01:45 PM on 01/22/2012

South Carolina are a bunch of jesus freaks. They have little impact on the rest of the US. Romney will be their man, they're not dumb enough to put Gingrich up in the general.

[vesaversa1]

12:57 PM on 01/22/2012

We know where the enthusiasm were in SC it was in the Democratic party .

[AdmireBucs]

12:57 PM on 01/22/2012

Damn, thats a big number, but I do expect that some of those people would change their tune when actually facing the choose......They hate obama with a revenge

[Bruckley]

01:46 PM on 01/22/2012

vengeance you mean. But you're right. A vote for Gingrich is symbolic only at this point. Romney knows he's got it.

[elle359zee]

01:47 PM on 01/22/2012

"They hate obama with a revenge "

and yet they wonder why this country is in a sh.*thole...because of attitudes like that

[ReelBusy]

12:38 PM on 01/22/2012

No kidding.
There's even a video on YouTube called:
Unenthusiastic GOP Mitt Romney 2012 Campaign Buttons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT2WQcthams&feature=channel_video_title

[venice6]

12:29 PM on 01/22/2012

Good night for Obama..

" Let's stay together .."

whistling... : - ))

Obama '12

because the American people are voting for a sane President ( and a loyal Husband )

[MisterPanache]

12:20 PM on 01/22/2012

Have a sound currency at home. Regulate casino gambling on Wall St. Stay out of overseas affairs unless we are directly attacked. Rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and get off of our dependence not only of foreign oil, but of oil in general. Make science and mathematics the forefront of our educational system to meet the new demands for energy. Give people the personal freedoms to live their lives as they see fit. Have real legitimate campaign finance reform so corporations stop running this country's policies. These aren't political issues, they are common sense issues. The rest of the jargon spewed out by politicians is just fluff and red meat their donors/owners want to hear to keep the rest of the America's eyes off the real issues. We need to wake up and demand better from our politicians.

[Willow712]

12:49 PM on 01/22/2012

And get rid of lobbyists, make it illegal to accept a bribe or get insider trading info. Make them work a 40 hour week, and term limits.

[vesaversa1]

12:59 PM on 01/22/2012

We need to reelect Barrack Obama 2012 .

[AtlantaBill]

11:56 AM on 01/22/2012

Let's see .. Mitt made hundreds of million prior to 2010 but he wants to just show his tax returns starting with 2010 .... wow that man is a genious isn't he ??

[studioh!]

11:39 AM on 01/22/2012

the evangelicals don't like mormons, and the morons don't like romney.
delicious.irony.

[Carmeliggy]

11:29 AM on 01/22/2012

Opting for Newt exposes the "values" voters in SC for what they truly are ... hypocrites and homophobes.,

[SueEll]

10:09 AM on 01/22/2012

Romney made his money off the fat of OUR land then shipped it overseas for storage.

[SueEll]

10:08 AM on 01/22/2012

Mitt Romney smiles benignly, then lies_like a dirt y rug.

[W L Simpson]

10:06 AM on 01/22/2012

Mitt's problem isn't religion per se,------- it's Mormonism

[MED1025]

12:04 AM on 01/23/2012

Its mamonism. He's all about the benjamins and always has been. He doesn't want to release his tax retrns because they show what an amoral vu!ture he really is.