Poll: Obama in Dead Heat With GOP Candidates

Bachmann, Romney, Paul, Perry all roughly even with prez
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 23, 2011 3:00 AM CDT
Poll: Obama in Dead Heat With GOP Candidates
Obama is roughly even with likely GOP opponents despite dismal job approval ratings, Gallup found.   (Getty Images)

If the election were held today, it would be too close to call between President Obama and any of the GOP front-runners, according to the latest Gallup poll. Obama would be in a dead heat within the margin of error against Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, or Rick Perry, pollsters found. Romney was tied exactly with Obama at 47%, while Perry was a couple of points ahead and Bachmann and Paul a few points behind. Previous polls have found Obama scoring roughly the same against a generic Republican opponent.

Obama's job approval rating is at roughly 40%, and the poll results show that "more Americans at the moment say they would vote for Obama than approve of the job he is doing—perhaps a reflection of the continuing lack of a strong front-runner on the Republican side," Gallup notes, stressing that much can still change. This far ahead of the election, incumbents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were in a dead heat with rivals Walter Mondale and Bob Dole. (More Ron Paul 2012 stories.)

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