Huckabee Closing the Gap on Obama!

From Public Policy Polling:

Obama still leading 2012 contests, but Huck getting closer

 

Raleigh, N.C. – Public Policy Polling’s fifth monthly survey looking at how Barack

Obama does when matched up against possible 2012 opponents reaches the same key

conclusions all of the other polls did: Obama leads all comers, and Mike Huckabee is the

strongest Republican at this point.

In this month’s iteration of the survey Huckabee polls the closest to Obama of any match

up so far, trailing the President just 47-44. A month ago the spread was 48-42.

Newt Gingrich comes the next closest, trailing 49-41, followed by Mitt Romney at 47-40

and Sarah Palin at 52-38.

In addition to coming the closest to Obama, Huckabee also has the best favorability

rating of the group. 45% of voters have a positive opinion of him to just 28%

unfavorable. The other Republican with a net positive rating, at 37/34, is Mitt Romney.

A plurality of voters have a negative opinion of both Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. For

the former Alaska Governor it’s 49% unfavorable to 40% favorable, and for the one time

Speaker of the House it’s 42% unfavorable to 33% favorable.

“Mike Huckabee has received a lot less attention in the context of 2012 than Sarah Palin

and Mitt Romney,” said Dean Debnam. “But he’s quietly, at this very early stage,

emerging as the strongest GOP alternative to Barack Obama.”

Last month’s survey had found Obama leading Huckabee by 6, Palin and Gingrich by 8,

and Romney by 9.

PPP conducted a national survey of 909 voters from August 14th to 17th. The survey’s

margin of error is +/-3.3%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and

weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

Complete results are attached and can be found at http://www.publicpolicypolling.com.