Adding Ryan didn’t give Romney a hoped-for boost in polls

By Capitol Hill Blue
August 22, 2012

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Wisconsin GOP Representative Paul Ryan‘s addition to Mitt Romney‘s Presidential ticket may have energized conservatives and brought in more campaign cash but it hasn’t given the ticket any significant bump in the polls.

A new NBC-Wall Street Journal survey shows incumbent President Barack Obama holding on to his lead nationwide — 48 to 44 percent — with only a slight narrowing since Romney added Ryan as his vice presidential selection.

In July, Obama’s lead was 49-43 over Romney.

Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart says this about the new numbers:

Mitt Romney is starting to accumulate a number of negatives on the personal front and issues front. Romney has a lot of repair work to do with his image.

While Ryan is popular with the right-wing, he is a pariah among the independents and moderates who often decide Presidential elections.

Says NBC:

The pick has had less of an impact on voters than previous running mates have had. Twenty-two percent say Ryan makes them more likely to vote for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, while 23 percent say he makes them less likely to vote for Romney; 54 percent say the pick doesn’t affect their vote either way. That margin (-1) is compared with Joe Biden‘s in 2008 (+8), Sarah Palin‘s in 2008 (+9 percent), John Edwards‘ in 2004 (+21), and Joe Lieberman‘s in 2000 (+13). Ryan’s numbers come closest to Dick Cheney‘s in 2000 (+2).

Adding to Romney’s bad news is a low favor-ability rating and an rising unfavorable.

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