Forget enthusiasm. Republicans are so jaded about their party’s current crop of presidential contenders that barely a plurality say they’re even ‘satisfied’ with the likely GOP candidates, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll.
In the poll, 43% of Republicans adults said they were satisfied with the potential GOP contenders. But nearly as many, 40%, said they were dissatisfied with the party’s options for president. Only 5% of respondents said they were very satisfied with the Republican field.
By comparison, Republicans were far more excited about the GOP field last time around than they are now. In a February 2007, a em>Washington Post/ABC News poll found that almost three-fourths of Republicans (73%) were satisfied with their choices. While that number dipped slightly to 69% at the end of 2007, it was still much higher than the level of satisfaction found in the latest poll.
That’s a further sign of the weak state of the GOP field, a point that has been driven home recently by polls showing eccentric businessman Donald Trump rocketing to the top of primary polls. Other surveys have also found Americans in general, and not just Republicans, eyeing their candidates like kids staring down lima beans.
In a Fox News poll released earlier this month, 65% of registered voters nationwide said they were to some degree “unimpressed” with the Republican field.
The Washington Post/ABC News poll was conducted April 14-17 among 1,001 adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 3.5%.
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