First PurplePoll Shows Challenges for Obama, Leading GOP Contenders

Voters surveyed in 12 Purple Swing States will decide the 2012 race

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Purple Strategies released the results of their first PurplePoll of the 2012 election cycle revealing challenges for President Obama, but problems for Mitt Romney and Rick Perry as well.

Click here to read full PurplePoll results.

Unlike other polls, the PurplePoll focuses exclusively on the 12 states that have decided presidential elections for the past dozen years, and will do so again in 2012: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Eight of these states won by President Obama in 2008 have swung between Republican and Democratic candidates since 1996. The four others (NH, MN, PA, and WI) have been decided by three points or less at least once since 2000.

The survey finds President Obama with a 41 percent job approval rating in the 12 states, all of which he carried in 2008. The poll also shows that in these 12 states, 24% of those surveyed have a favorable view of Texas Governor Rick Perry; among independents, 19% view Perry favorably. Head-to-head matchups show a statistical dead heat: Romney, who is viewed favorably by 32% of respondents, holds a 46%-43% lead over Obama, while the President leads Perry by a margin of 46% to 44% in a general election matchup. On issues, nearly half - 49% - rate "jobs and economic growth" as the most important issue facing America; 23% say "government spending and tax cuts" are the nation's top priority.

Members of Purple Strategies leadership team made the following statements in response to the survey findings:  

Steve McMahon, Founding Partner - "Campaign 2012 is just getting started. President Obama's approval ratings may be lower than Democrats would like, but his GOP challengers are not well liked. President Obama should continue his focus on jobs, while painting his potential opponent as a captive of the Tea Party, who will put narrow ideological interests ahead of the country's. With the primaries months away, this much is certain: Republicans will continue to attack each other, and will damage their eventual nominee among the Purple State independent voters who will determine this election."

Bruce Haynes, Managing Partner - "These 12 States won by President Obama in the last election are the key to the GOP recapturing the White House in 2012. If Republicans want a candidate who can win back these key swing states, then our first survey clearly shows that Rick Perry has a lot of work to do in Purple America."

Updated regularly throughout the 2012 election cycle, the PurplePoll will follow leading political indicators and track new issues as they emerge.  It will offer a unique lens to gather original insight into this critical election.

The PurplePoll is fielded and analyzed by Purple Insights, the research division of Purple Strategies, a bipartisan public-affairs firm located in Alexandria, VA.

SOURCE Purple Strategies