Barack Obama,  Donald Trump,  Mike Huckabee,  Mitt Romney,  Newt Gingrich,  Polling,  President 2012,  Sarah Palin

President 2012 Poll Watch: Barack Obama 46% Vs. Mitt Romney 45%

According to the latest McClatchy-Marist Poll.

When given the choice between former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and the president, voters divide. 46% of registered voters say they would back the president while 45% say they would cast their ballot for Romney. Nine percent are undecided.

When McClatchy-Marist last reported this question in January, Mr. Obama had a 13 percentage point lead over Romney. At that time, a slim majority — 51% — said they would vote for the president while 38% thought they would back Romney. 11% were undecided.

The president has lost ground among independent voters. Currently a plurality — 45% — back Romney while 42% support Obama. 13% are undecided. Previously, the president held a 10 percentage point lead over Romney.

And, what about if Mike Huckabee is the Republican nominee?

When paired with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, President Obama has a slight lead. 48% of voters say they would support the president in this hypothetical contest while 43% believe they would back Huckabee. Nine percent are undecided. However, Huckabee has narrowed the gap. In McClatchy-Marist’s previous survey, 12 percentage points separated the two. In January, half of voters — 50% — said Obama was their candidate while 38% said the same about Huckabee. 12% were undecided.

Other GOP potential nominees don’t do so well against President Obama, including Sarah Palin (56% Vs. 34%)  and Donald Trump (54% Vs. 38%).

The GOP Field Head to Head (Republicans and Republican Leaning Independents):

  • Mitt Romney – 18%
  • Mike Huckabee – 17%
  • Donald Trump – 13%
  • Rudy Giuliani – 9%
  • Sarah Palin – 8%
  • Ron Paul – 7%
  • Newt Gingrich – 4%
  • Michele Bachmann – 3%
  • Mitch Daniels – 2%
  • Tim Pawlenty – 2%

Other notable findings:

• Romney and Huckabee run evenly among Republicans with 19% each.
• Huckabee is the favorite among Tea Party supporters with 20%.
• Trump tops the list among Republican leaning independents with 18%.

This is another national poll, so you really cannot read too much into it except that President Obama is not doing well against two Republican nominees who have not really started to campaign and one who has not even decided to run for the Presidency.

President Barack Obama has officially announced that he will seek re-election next year, but he faces an electorate that still needs convincing. According to this McClatchy-Marist Poll, a plurality of registered voters nationwide — 44% — say they definitely plan to vote against Mr. Obama in 2012. 37% report they definitely plan to vote for him, and 18% are unsure.

Despite the president’s transition into campaign mode, little has changed on this question since McClatchy-Marist last asked it in November. At that time, 48% of voters said they will not support the president in his re-election bid while 36% thought they would. 16%, at the time, were unsure.