Some interesting notes from the Florida Exit Poll.
Newt had a huge gender gap in Florida. Romney beat Gingrich among men 41-36%, but among women the margin was 52-28%, a 19-point gender gap. One thing that’s driving that may be the issue of strong moral character. 17% of Florida voters named that as their concern and Romney won 46% of that vote to 8% for Gingrich (Santorum had 27%). The 38 point gap between Romney and Gingrich on this issue accounts for 6% of the vote or a little less than half of the gap between the two candidates.
The character gap is Gingrich’s biggest electability issue. It also showed up in South Carolina. 18% of voters were looking for a leader with strong moral character and in that one, Gingrich gathered 6% of the vote. In New Hampshire, 22% of voters were looking for someone with strong moral character and Gingrich got 2% of the vote. In Iowa 24% were looking for a candidate with strong moral character and Gingrich received 5% of the vote.
The issue of character remains Newt’s Achilles heel. Before voting even started in Florida, there was nearly 15% of the voters who weren’t going to vote for Gingrich because of character. In South Carolina, the total was 17% but because Gingrich carried elect-ability, he could skate by. There aren’t a whole lot of states like South Carolina.
The Character Gap, by the way is why Santorum often outperforms Gingrich in 1-on-1 match up polls with Mitt Romney. Santorum gets the supporters who would not consider a vote for Gingrich because of questions of his character.
February 1st, 2012 at 2:36 am
Newt is a joke!
Ads’ Santy will beat him in almost every Feb contest.
February 1st, 2012 at 5:00 am
Mitt is the man! I love the “Mitt, Mitt, Mitt…” chant. Great win for a great leader.
Newt= no character =toast
February 1st, 2012 at 5:12 am
#1…It was hilarious. I don’t think Newt realized he lost Florida. Didn’t congratulate Mitt, didn’t concede, and his speech sounded like a victory lap..
You’re right, Newt is a joke!
February 1st, 2012 at 6:09 am
Newt is Pathetic. I hate that he is in our party.
I guess that his supporters couldn’t convince Florida to forgive him and that he changed LOL.
If I get get one more Gingrich bot tell me that I have to forgive that nasty thing and his wife I swear.
It isn’t about forgiveness i’ts about the Gingrich’s are just a nasty couple who do not represent my values in the least whether it be political or family values.
February 1st, 2012 at 6:14 am
And yet Newt labels Romney “the liar”. Gingrich is despicable, as a human and as a leader of men.
February 1st, 2012 at 7:04 am
Published elsewhere (the name of the source escapes me), but spot on: “Newt’s concession speech wasn’t entirely graceless. He did praise the candidate who finished second.”
February 1st, 2012 at 7:23 am
Gingrich is out searching for his “sacred honor” as we speak. 46 states to go minus the ones he failed to get on the ballot in. He’s searching for his work ethic, too.
February 1st, 2012 at 7:59 am
Anybody who thinks Gingrich is a “changed man” since his ethically dubious history of the ’90s is fooling themselves. According to this Politico article, Gingrich is continuing to enrich himself during this campaign, hiring his own companies (paying them with his campaign funds). In other words, his campaign is paying himself.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72248.html
Furthermore, from the article, “Gingrich has a penchant for flying private charter jets, and the campaign appears to have reined in its payments to his charter jet company of choice, Moby Dick Airways, which was paid $133,000 in the fourth quarter for private jet air fare. Still, the campaign reported owing the company $352,000, as well as $472,000 to a phone banking company for ‘telemarketing program costs.’”
Compare that to the undoubtedly wealthy Romney who travels via commercial airlines, thus saving his campaign (and thus his donors) quite a bundle.
Who do you want controlling the purse strings of the tax payers? A frugal successful man, or a spendthrift who has enriched himself at the tax payers and his donors expense?
(A spendthrift, in case you don’t know, is a someone who spends money extravagantly and wastefully.)
February 1st, 2012 at 8:33 am
I’m not sure that the “character” issue for Gingrich will get much better with this new revelation – he has NEVER called after the other candidate wins (in this case, Romney). Totally without courtesy or grace. No manners. This may be a nothing issue, but it does speak again to the pettiness, ego, and character of Gingrich. This is the type of “little thing” that people hear and it may annoy them just enough to cross him off their vote list. See link:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72293.html
February 1st, 2012 at 8:59 am
#9
Of course we all know this is not a “nothing issue.” It is a defining issue. Newt is a horrible person on nearly every level. Yes, he can open his big fat mouth and spew forth anything and everything that pops into his big fat head and snow some clueless people, but that’s it.
The challenge for those who do have a clue is to convince the ninny know-nothings of the real character, or lack thereof, of this deceitful, nutty professor.
At this point Newt is held up by Rush, Fox, Murdock and Palin–and those who want ABR. Will enough people catch on that their support of this dufus us as crazy as he us?
February 1st, 2012 at 9:39 am
Newt also didn’t thank his wife for her support. He really is not very nice to her. No wonder women dislike red nose Newt.
February 1st, 2012 at 9:49 am
#11: But why do MEN like Newt? Newt is a lying, whining SOB. A disgusting guy, actually. What’s the appeal there?
February 1st, 2012 at 11:33 am
#12 I have no idea outside of his raising his finger and yelling at the media.
February 1st, 2012 at 3:09 pm
The article says Newt’s campaign paid him $47,000 for a list of supporters, and the campaign paid Newt’s company, Gingrich Productions, $67,000 for web hosting. One can only wonder the total dollar amount Newt is raking in for his personal bank account at the expense of his contributors.
His supporters and contributors should realize Newt is just a money-grubbing little creep