Clemson Palmetto Poll finds GOP voters uncommitted in presidential race

CLEMSON, SC – November 10, 2011 – Two months short of the state’s Jan. 21, 2012, presidentialprimary, South Carolina voters are unsure of who is the best GOPcandidate to support.  That’s the finding of the just-completedClemson University 2012 Palmetto Poll of a sample of 600 likely voters.The S.C. presidential primary is expected to draw 600,000 voters earlynext year.
 
“What South Carolinians think and who they back ishistorically important,” said Clemson University political scientistDave Woodard. “Since 1980, the winner of the GOP South Carolina Primaryhas won the Republican nomination for president every time.”
 
Nearly70 percent (68 percent) of those polled had not yet decided on acandidate and a similar number said they were most likely to changetheir minds between now and January when they do have a choice.
 
“This indicates the electorate is still fluid,” said Clemson political scientist Bruce Ransom.
 
Amongrespondents who had chosen a candidate, the Palmetto Poll showed MittRomney (22 percent) and Herman Cain (20 percent) leading the field. Thethird-place candidate was Newt Gingrich (10 percent), followed by RickPerry (9 percent).
 
The remaining candidates finished withsingle-digit percentages: Ron Paul (3 percent), Michelle Bachmann (3percent), Rick Santorum (1 percent) and Jon Huntsman (1 percent).
 
Onlyabout 12 percent of the respondents said they were members of the TeaParty or had attended a meeting of the group. More than half (51percent) said they neither supported nor opposed the Tea Party.
 
TheClemson University Palmetto Poll, sponsored by the Strom ThurmondInstitute and the College of Business and Behavioral Science, had a plusor minus 4.5 percent margin of error.