… Given that the presidential election is likely to be close, possibly extremely close, late deciders — that is, voters who don’t have strong partisan attachments and tend to fall into the independent category — are likely to choose the winner. How do these people make their decisions in the […] Read more »
Romney’s Anchor
… What seems to be holding Romney back are voters’ personal feelings toward him, which are more negative than those faced by any of the past six nonincumbent nominees. … In my judgment, Romney’s poor numbers go back to his campaign’s obsession with talking only about the economy and not […] Read more »
Disarmed Democrats
On gun control, Democrats remain paralyzed by the fear of losing voters whom they have already lost. … Gun control is deeply unpopular with the portions of the white electorate most hostile to Obama anyway: blue-collar whites and college-educated white men. But among the voters who might actually vote for […] Read more »
How will social and religious issues factor into 2012 election?
… Will Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith hurt him among evangelical (or other) voters? Will President Obama lose support among Catholics, a key voting bloc, because of his positions on abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage? In short, will social and religious issues play a significant role in this election, as they […] Read more »
Dark Money Political Groups Target Voters Based on Their Internet Habits
… Online advertising companies have amassed vast quantities of information on what individual people read, watch, and do on the Internet. … These anonymous profiles of information are used to customize advertisements—like sending casino ads to someone who just bought a plane ticket to Vegas. But these profiles are also […] Read more »
Little Voter Discomfort with Romney’s Mormon Religion
Most voters continue to say it is important for a president to have strong religious beliefs. But voters have limited awareness of the religious faiths of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. And there is little evidence to suggest that concerns about the candidates’ respective faiths will have a meaningful […] Read more »