Winthrop Poll Finds Gingrich Leading Romney in GOP Presidential Race

Quick Facts

The results of the December 2011 Winthrop Poll were taken between Nov. 27-Dec. 4. Poll callers at Winthrop University interviewed 1073 registered voters from South Carolina.

Among S.C. Democrats, Republicans and Independents combined, 81.4% of poll respondents disapprove of the way Congress is doing its job while 47.8% feel the same way about President Obama. However, nearly 60% say it’s very or somewhat likely the president will be re-elected in 2012.

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Scott Huffmon

ROCK HILL, S.C. - The latest Winthrop Poll shows that among those likely to vote in the S.C. GOP presidential primary, Newt Gingrich gets the nod over Mitt Romney, 38.4% to 21.5%. Texas Governor Rick Perry comes in a distant third at 9 %.

The results are key as the Palmetto State is the first in the South to hold a GOP presidential primary, which is set for Jan. 21.

Among S.C. Democrats, Republicans and Independents combined, 81.4% of poll respondents disapprove of the way Congress is doing its job while 47.8% feel the same way about President Obama. However, nearly 60% say it’s very or somewhat likely the president will be re-elected in 2012.

The results of the December 2011 Winthrop Poll were taken between Nov. 27-Dec. 4. Poll callers at Winthrop University interviewed 1073 registered voters from South Carolina.

Almost 50% of those interviewed think economic conditions in U.S. are getting worse, while over 65% say the country is headed in the wrong direction. One-in-three disapproves of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

Among SC Republicans, more than one-in-four think South Carolina is headed in the wrong direction. Almost 60% say their personal financial situation is either excellent or good. About 83% say they are not a part of the Tea Party movement but 61.4% approve of the Tea Party.

Results which use all respondents have a margin of error of +/- 2.99% at the 95% confidence level. Reported results using a subset of the entire sample will naturally have a higher margin of error. Results for Democrats only have a margin of error of +/-5.14%. Results for Republicans only have a margin of error of +/-5.45%. Results for Independents and other only have a margin of error of +/-5.03%. Results for Likely SC Republican Presidential Primary Voters only have a margin of error of +/-5.38%.

For further explanation of methodology, check the Winthrop Poll website.

To see what questions were asked and responses, check here.

Among other Winthrop Poll findings:

• When asked about Barack Obama’s job performance as president, 44.8% of all respondents approved, while 47.8% disapproved.

• Among likely Republican Presidential Primary voters, 38.4% said their first choice to be the Republican nominee was Newt Gingrich. This marks a dramatic jump from the September 2011 Winthrop Poll when Gingrich won just 5.3% of the vote. Mitt Romney came in second with 21.5%, while Rick Perry who placed first in the Winthrop Poll in mid-September, came in third with 9%.

• It is clear that accusations of sexual harassment and an extra-marital affair had already taken a toll on Herman Cain in South Carolina before he suspended his campaign. Whereas in September’s poll, 7.7% of likely primary voters chose him—and his star appeared on the rise from April’s Winthrop Poll when he posted 2.1%--in this latest survey he dropped to 6.6%.

• 63.4% of all respondents said it is NOT possible to address national budget concerns without any tax increases on any groups.

• Affection for the Tea Party in South Carolina may be on the wane. Among Republicans, 83.3% said they did not consider themselves members of the Tea Party movement—a marked jump from the September Winthrop Poll, when 67.8% felt that way. Meanwhile, 61.4% say they approve of the Tea Party.

• Almost one-in-four Republicans said they were not familiar enough with the Tea Party movement to have an opinion of it.

For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or e-mail her at longshawj@winthrop.edu.

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