Newt Gingrich hasn’t officially thrown his hat into the 2012 race, but if he were to get in, and indeed win the Republican presidential nomination, he wouldn’t get much of a home state advantage in a general election against President Obama, according to a new PPP poll.
In that poll of registered voters, Obama topped Gingrich 46%-45% in a head-to-head matchup in Georgia, the state Gingrich represented for two decades in the House. Further, 50% said they didn’t think Gingrich should run for president in the first place, while only 31% said he should.
In the poll, Obama topped Gingrich 46%-45%. Further, 50% said they didn’t think Gingrich should run for president in the first place, while only 31% said he should.
That’s a bad omen for Gingrich, who appears poised to make his White House bid official, as it shows how much trouble he would have competing in a general election even in his own state.
National polls have also shown Gingrich faring poorly in a hypothetical contest with Obama. The latest TPM Poll Average shows Obama leading Gingrich by a comfortable 51.6% to 37.2% margin nationally.
The poll also had some other good news for Obama, as it showed him topping a couple of other potential GOP challengers, and narrowly trailing two others.
Obama led Sarah Palin 48%-45% in the poll, and also topped Herman Cain — another native son, and former pizza chain CEO — 44% to 39%. Against Mike Huckabee, Obama trailed by a 3-point margin, 48% to 45%. Obama also trailed Mitt Romney by three points, 46%-43%.
Forty-seven percent of respondents said they approved of Obama’s job performance, compared to 48% who disapproved.
The PPP poll was conducted March 31 through April 3 among 790 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3.5%
