Republicans Excited, Democrats Indifferent On Paul Ryan Selection

YouGov
August 15, 2012, 2:00 PM GMT+0

(Week of 8/11/2012) While Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate may not have had much effect on Americans’ vote intentions thus far, it has nevertheless evoked very different reactions from Obama and Romney supporters.

42% of Romney supporters say they are "excited" by the Ryan pick and 46% say they are "optimistic." Only 5% are disappointed. Most Obama supporters feel neither excitement, anger, nor disappointment.

The Ryan choice is viewed differently depending on one’s partisanship, with Republicans thinking it is a good choice, and Democrats disagreeing. Overall, registered voters are more positive than negative — 38% say it is a good choice, 28% say it is a bad one.

And while the Romney campaign may not have picked up any votes (at least not yet), Ryan himself has become much more noticed — though his gains in favorability are nearly matched by gains in unfavorability. Last week, registered voters split 33% to 32% in their opinion of Ryan; this week, the numbers are 41% to 36%.

Romney supporters went from 61% favorable last week to 82% favorable this week. Unfavorable ratings of Ryan among Obama supporters rose from 44% last week to 62% today.

Over 60% of Romney voters still maintain they are casting a ballot against the President, not for the GOP ticket. Over three in four Obama voters say they will cast a ballot for the President.

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