If someone was to grab you on the street and ask you who you thought the leading candidate for the 2016 Republican nomination for President would be, a plethora of names could tumble from your mouth – Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, etc. etc. The last name many would expect to hear on that list would be two-time failure Mitt Romney. However, in a recent poll released by the University of New Hampshire, Romney would win the presidential nomination by a landslide if the vote was held today.
The poll, conducted by WMUR, showed that despite 20 percent of the people in New Hampshire not even knowing which party they would vote for in the 2016 election, 39 percent of them would vote for Mitt Romney. Romney’s next closest challengers, Rand Paul and Chris Christie, finished at seven percent, while Jeb Bush pulled in six percent of the vote.
Hooooooly crap Mitt Romney http://t.co/tLoVHeYzUp pic.twitter.com/dXFT2Hegox
— Brett LoGiurato (@BrettLoGiurato) July 11, 2014
The poll comes on the heels of another poll from Quinnipiac University in which 45 percent of voters believed that the United States would be better off today if Romney would have been elected in 2012 instead of Barack Obama.
There is one bit of information most sources are leaving out of the New Hampshire poll, however. The study was conducted by calling 669 New Hampshire adults and asking them who they supported. 669! A number that barely scratches the surface of eligible voters in the state, and a number that is not near big enough to extrapolate national trends.
Mitt Romney tops another 2016 poll. CNN cites the 4 contributing factors as Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie.
— clydetheslyde (@clydetheslyde) July 11, 2014
Unfortunately, though, there is more than one source which suggests Romney would have a successful 2016 bid if he chose to do so. Much like the New Hampshire and Quinnipiac polls, a website in the state of Alabama conducted a poll which resulted in Romney accruing 63.67 percent of the vote when people were asked, “Who should be the presidential nominee for the Republican Party in 2016?”
There is also a petition online right now with the purpose of “drafting” Romney to become the next Republican presidential nominee. Surprisingly, the poll has 54,382 supporters at the current moment.
While many would not consider Romney a front-runner for the nomination by any means, the proof is in the pudding. And who knows? Perhaps the third time’s the charm for good ol’ Mittens. Only time will tell.
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