Election Poll: Which Candidate For President Has The Small-Business Vote?

It's no wonder the presidential candidates praise the nation's entrepreneurs as often as they can: The people who run small businesses or receive a paycheck from them make up a massive voting bloc.

Just do the math. According to the Census Bureau, U.S. small businesses employ 59.7 million people. That amounts to nearly half the 131 million people who voted in the last presidential election. Add the distrust of large organizations on the heels of the financial crisis, which has led many Americans to identify with the entrepreneurial ideal, and the small-business community becomes an even more coveted vote.

So which candidate is currently the most popular among small-business owners? Manta, an online community of small businesses, set out to answer that question in a survey released today.

Questions in the survey of 1,022 business owners, conducted earlier this month, included:

• "What political issue will have the biggest impact on your business?" (tax policy topped the list, with access to credit and unemployment not far behind)
• "How satisfied are you with the field of potential 2012 presidential candidates?" (54 percent of respondents are not satisfied)

And perhaps most notably, the survey also asked, "Who do you plan to vote for in the 2012 presidential election?"

Find out which presidential candidate (including the incumbent, President Obama) has thus far captured the small-business vote, according to Manta's survey:

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Update: This post has been updated to include a link to Manta's survey results, which were not publicly released until after this post was published.

Comments

[Eugene Alaniz]

08:47 AM on 06/24/2012

Did anybody on this blog or what ever it is call get a penny from all the bailouts? I dont know anybody who did. Do you? Be honest think about there were billions.

[Trailz]

10:54 AM on 03/17/2012

Mr. Obama is doing everything contrary to good business practices. It is shocking that the small business community cannot seem to comprehend that. No wonder America is going down the tubes.

[dcol]

04:08 PM on 02/09/2012

As a small business owner, I see absolutely no obstructions from Obama that aren't caused by the GOP. The GOP supports large corporations which hurt small business. They obstruct changes that would help the economy and create more customers. They obstruct infrastructure, which helps small business. I do not see any benefit to supporting the GOP for my small business. Obama has beefed up the SBA and want's to cut taxes for small business, so what is the problem? Tell me ONE THING that Obama has passed that hurts my business. I don't see it.

[Roaring Red Zinger]

03:17 PM on 02/10/2012

How about the fact that the qualified SBA lenders all of which in our area received TARP money will NOT lend to truly small business. What is a small business where you are? Here it is fifteen or fewer employee's. SBA is a joke!

[donk970]

11:38 AM on 02/08/2012

So - I see lot's of "I hate Obama..." statements here. Can anyone provide an actual rational, well thought out reason and back it up with verifiable facts? Cra9 that falls out of certain Republican commentators a$$'s doesn't count.

[seeksthetruth]

06:31 PM on 02/07/2012

The GOP loves to talk about helping Small Business but have NEVER done anything for us. They only support Big Business and the rich. Small Businesses can't afford to hire lobbyists and therefore get nothing from the GOP.

[Conservative Mark]

08:24 AM on 02/07/2012

2/3 of small business owners want someone beside President Obama, not at all surprised.

[dcol]

04:11 PM on 02/09/2012

Not this small business owner or any of my small business owner friends or associates. I see the GOP as the hold back, not Obama.

[SharonDoc]

01:47 PM on 02/13/2012

I agree w that analysis

[AKONAPET]

03:41 PM on 02/06/2012

This small biz owner cant wait for this obama regime to get out of the way!..I will definatly be voting ABO. , AkonaPet.com

[dcol]

04:13 PM on 02/09/2012

Tell me ONE thing that Obama passed that hurt you that wasn't as a result of a GOP house obstruction. Come on -think real hard.

[1RITE1]

04:41 PM on 02/09/2012

obamacare..now go away

[SharonDoc]

01:48 PM on 02/13/2012

He's a disaster with small businesses!

[MyResponsibility]

06:18 PM on 01/28/2012

Not looking good for President Obama in this demographic...

[RedDog79]

03:51 PM on 01/27/2012

this small business owner wouldn't even think of voting for anyone that believes we need to "take our country back" or someone who believes big oil still needs subsidizing after 100 years of it and record profits in the last several years. No, I'd rather vote for someone who lives and works in this century, thinks ahead for the country, and believes everyone not just the rich have a right to prosperity and happiness.

[BCS]

06:21 PM on 01/30/2012

FYI, the GOVERNMENT makes more money off of Big Oil than Big Oil does through high taxes that we pay at the pump.
And since when is going into unsustainable debt "thinking ahead"?
More like thinking ahead to the next election and no further.
Another thing, it is NOT the government's job to equalize outcomes.
It is the government's job to fight the wars - and ENOUGH wars already- fix the potholes and supply police and fire protection all at a REASONABLE cost.
I don't want the government either in my bedroom or in my wallet for more than that.

[dcol]

04:16 PM on 02/09/2012

Big oil is most certainly NOT small business. Yes Obama is hard on big business, as he should be. Big corporations are the ones polluting our air and water, foreclosing on our homes, sending our jobs overseas. Small business is the backbone and heart of our country and Obama has our backs.

[shankapotomus]

08:58 AM on 01/26/2012

I know for a factthis is made up, small businesses hate O.

[RedDog79]

03:52 PM on 01/27/2012

show me the facts.

[shankapotomus]

08:09 PM on 01/27/2012

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/greghengler/2011/09/16/cramer_business_leaders_hate_obama--especially_when_the_mics_are_off

[BCS]

06:23 PM on 01/30/2012

As a small businessman, I would like to say that "hate" is a too strong word- BUT, I certainly will be supporting his opponent.

[Nik Markwell]

07:10 AM on 01/26/2012

The reason the banks aren't loaning to small businesses.....their loaning everything to the government.

[turboe4truth]

07:58 AM on 01/26/2012

BS..... You guys just can't handle the truth.... Obama 2012...............................................

[SharonDoc]

01:52 PM on 02/13/2012

ewwwwwwwwww

[RedDog79]

03:53 PM on 01/27/2012

big banks haven no need to loan to the government- that's what the Fed is for, as well as loans from other countries. by the way, did you know that under Clinton we were set up for 20 years of surplus -

[dtwistedserpent]

02:15 AM on 03/16/2012

Very true.Clinton not only banged every thing that moved he also got rid of our debt.I am astonished at how fast we got so deep into debt again,most of our politicians are disgusting crooks.

[kritiktwee]

01:05 AM on 01/26/2012

Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul will be able to keep their nomination going. All others will fall through the cracks. Gingrich has enough funds to promote his campaign plus plenty more for negative campaign propaganda. But will he ... Oh well.

[Ma Lucille]

12:36 AM on 01/26/2012

"Banks are the Unintended Beneficiaries of the bailout' Larry Summers

yea.. they own a whole lot of Main Street now

[FLOORMAN1]

06:26 PM on 01/25/2012

Guys lets face it the banks are not in the loaning money business anymore, theyre in the collecting fees business now.If you want to raise money for your business seems like the only group that are giving out lots of money thses days are the super pacs . Ive been in business for 32 yrs. I tried banks for a number of yrs to no avail so I don't have faith in any of the banking institutions in this country.If you dont already have money in your possession don't expect it from your bank. And by the way they will find a way to collect some sort fee for your deposits. Now that message you can take to the bank . Happy hunting LOL

THE FLOORMAN

[Ariel Finn]

02:10 PM on 01/25/2012

As a small business owner, President Obama scares me to no end! Every small business owner is much worse off now than when Obama came into office.He is absolutely clueless about economics, business in general and job creation. No private business is going to start hiring again until Obama leaves office, no matter how much the media props him up and keeps repeating the White House talking points. We have 25 MILLION Americans out of work and with Obama's failed policies, and soaring prices of healthcare and energy, it's not going to get better until he leaves office.

[KymmiKatt]

11:35 PM on 01/25/2012

Small business has been going down steadily with the economy, not necessarily because of Obama. It's correlation but not causation.

[Ariel Finn]

01:50 AM on 01/26/2012

Even if Obama is not necessarily the entire reason why small business has been going downhill, he certainly doesn't know how to fix it and turn it around. How I wish Bill Clinton was back in the White House!

[turboe4truth]

08:00 AM on 01/26/2012

You are full of CRAP and you know it........ And if you really are a small business owner (WHICH I DOUBT) you will start hiring when demand goes up, just as ALL business's do, or you will go out of business.so stop with the BS.......

[Ariel Finn]

01:26 PM on 01/26/2012

From your intelligent and eloquent writing, I can tell you very well educated and sophisticated and you bring a lot of knowledge to the table. Right. Obviously, you are a mental midget who knows nothing about business and probably not too much about anything besides reading and repeating the White House talking points. You're pathetic. Now crawl back in your hole and lets the adults and business people continue to have an intelligent conversation.

[SharonDoc]

01:56 PM on 02/13/2012

You're clueless