Poll: Marco Rubio Is Second Most Popular Pick Among Potential Romney Running Mates

By Kyle Munzenrieder Thu., Apr. 19 2012 at 11:29 AM

Two separate polls now have shown that Florida's junior senator, Marco Rubio, wouldn't give Mitt Romney much help in his home state against President Barack Obama in November, but that hasn't stopped voters in the rest of the nation from thinking he'd be a pretty decent Republican running mate. He comes in second in a poll asking about the most buzzed-about veep picks. Of course, that begs the question: Do Americans really think Rubio would be a good pick, or have they simply heard a lot in the media about him being a potential Romney running mate?

According to a Quinnipiac Poll, 24 percent of Americans think Rubio would be a good pick, compared to just 14 percent who think he'd be a bad choice. Another 58 percent have no opinion. That doesn't sound spectacular, but it's better than all the other buzzed-about potential running mates.

Some 40 percent of Republicans think he'd be a good pick, compared to just 7 percent who think he'd be a bad pick. Independents are split 27-14.

Only New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie does better, with 31 percent thinking he'd be a good pick. Another 24 percent think he'd be a bad pick. Notably, though, the gap between those who think he'd be a good pick and a bad pick is much smaller than Rubio's.

Congressman Paul Ryan comes in third with a 23-17 split. The other potential candidates asked about -- Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal -- are all lesser known.

Romney, however, better think carefully about his running mate. The same poll shows he's trailing Barack Obama nationally 46-42.

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Tags:

Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney

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Sir Sausage

A junior senator is surely a better fit for VP than for President... AMIRITE????

All kidding aside. Someone else would be best.

boboadobo

the one thing romney has going for him is that obama is a clown!

KOOLTOZE

you misspelled your own name, brainiac.....it's bozo-a-dumbo!

boboadobo

it is spelled odumbo as in president odumbo the clown!

Drake Mallard

Running on Empty

Why keep trotting out this Marco Rubio character? He has nothing to say and basically no one gives a fÚck

Everybody knows by now, all politicians are completely full of sh!t; just the worst kind of low-life, criminal, co cksuckers you could ever wanna' run into - a funkin' piece of sh!t politicians And the proof of it, the proof of it is, they don't even trust each other.I

Valerie V

Too bad the public are so naive and vain they don't see Rubio for what he is - a typical political GOP liar, cheat, and thief.

Drake Mallard

Will the Birthers Scrutinize Marco Rubio's U.S. Citizenship?

The same Marco Rubio? That Talks Big but Fails to Deliver?

Marco Rubio Really Admires Dead Ra cist Jesse Helms.

So, Marco Rubio is going around calling America "weakened." He blames it on Social Security,Medicaid and Medicare.

spented thousands with GOP credit card

Marco Rubio born to Cuban exiles? Not true, after all."Marco Rubio Lied About His Cuban Exile Immigrant Background"

spented thousands with GOP credit card

Records show Rubio sent payments to American Express totaling $13,900 for his personal expenses during his tenure as House speaker. But those payments were not made monthly. He made no contributions to the bill during a six-month stretch in 2007, records show.

One committee paid relatives nearly $14,000 for what was incorrectly described to the IRS as "courier fees" and listed a nonexistent address for one of them. Another committee paid $5,700 to his wife, who was listed as the treasurer, much of it for "gas and meals."

Rubio's spending continued in 2005 when the Republican Party of Florida handed him a credit card to use at his own discretion. While serving as House speaker in 2007 and 2008, he charged thousands of dollars in restaurant tabs to the state party at the same time taxpayers were subsidizing his meals in Tallahassee.

Rubio's wife, former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Jeanette Dousdebes, served as the committee's treasurer. In reports filed with the state, Rubio and his wife failed to disclose more than $34,000 in expenses over an 18-month period.

Marco Rubio was facing foreclosure on a Tallahassee house after missing five months of mortgage payments, according to a lawsuit filed in Leon County Circuit Court.

it time to recall this clown