Clemson Palmetto Poll finds GOP voters uncommitted in presidential race

Published: November 9, 2011

Dave Woodard and Bruce Ransom image by: Clemson University

CLEMSON — Two months short of the state’s Jan. 21, 2012, presidential primary, South Carolina voters are unsure of who is the best GOP candidate to support.
 
That’s the finding of the just-completed Clemson University 2012 Palmetto Poll of a sample of 600 likely voters. The S.C. presidential primary is expected to draw 600,000 voters early next year.
 
“What South Carolinians think and who they back is historically important,” said Clemson University political scientist Dave Woodard. “Since 1980, the winner of the GOP South Carolina Primary has won the Republican nomination for president every time.”
 
Nearly 70 percent (68 percent) of those polled had not yet decided on a candidate and a similar number said they were most likely to change their minds between now and January when they do have a choice.
 
“This indicates the electorate is still fluid,” said Clemson political scientist Bruce Ransom.
 
Among respondents who had chosen a candidate, the Palmetto Poll showed Mitt Romney (22 percent) and Herman Cain (20 percent) leading the field. The third-place candidate was Newt Gingrich (10 percent), followed by Rick Perry (9 percent).
 
The remaining candidates finished with single-digit percentages: Ron Paul (3 percent), Michele Bachmann (3 percent), Rick Santorum (1 percent) and Jon Huntsman (1 percent).
 
Only about 12 percent of the respondents said they were members of the Tea Party or had attended a meeting of the group. More than half (51 percent) said they neither supported nor opposed the Tea Party.
 
The Clemson University Palmetto Poll, sponsored by the Strom Thurmond Institute and the College of Business and Behavioral Science, had a plus or minus 4.5 percent margin of error.

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