If anyone was wondering about prospective 2012 matchups , the Rasmussen poll out today offers a first look.
Obama: 45%
Romney: 45%
Some Other Candidate: 7%
Undecided: 3%
The poll also offers further proof that Sarah Palin would be a disastrous choice for the GOP.
Obama: 48%
Palin: 42%
Some Other Candidate: 7%
Undecided: 3%
Romney’s strength lies with independents.
When Romney is the Republican nominee, he beats Obama among unaffiliated voters 48% to 41%. But when Palin is the GOP candidate, unaffiliated voters prefer Obama by a 47% to 41% margin.
And for those who like to speculate about scenarios that are even less likely to happen than a Palin presidency (honestly, not sure why they bothered asking this)…
If Romney secured the GOP nomination and Palin chose to run as an independent candidate, Obama would win the resulting three-way race with 44% of the vote. Romney is the choice of 33% of the voters under that scenario, with Palin a distant third with 16% support. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.