Former Massachusetts Mitt Romney is locked in a battle for Michigan’s primary delegates, but he’s also fighting for the hearts and minds among the conservative wing of his own party. ABC’s pollster Gary Langer points out Romney’s favorability struggles within the GOP have reached a new low in ABC News/Washington Post polling numbers:
Nationally just 38 percent of Americans who identify themselves as “very” conservative hold a favorable opinion of Romney, down 14 points from last week to the fewest in ABC/Post polls in this election cycle. Far more in this group, 60 percent, express a positive view of Rick Santorum.
Romney is at new lows among related groups as well, with 56 percent favorability among conservative Republicans and 40 percent among all conservatives, down from last week by 13 and 10 points, respectively. But the comparison with Santorum is most striking among very conservatives, the highly ideological and predominantly Republican group on which Santorum has based his campaign strategy.
Additionally, our TPM Poll Average shows that Romney remains unpopular with the public as a whole.
