Republicans are seizing on a growing, bipartisan majority of Americans who believe that the economy is improving at an unacceptably slow rate and are eager for a take-charge leader to fix it.
In a new poll provided to Secrets, the Winston Group found that 40 percent of registered voters believe the economy is improving, but that the progress is “unacceptable.” Another 36 percent said that the economy is “not getting better,” while just 24 percent believe the pace of progress is acceptable. Bottom line: 76 percent think the economy stinks.
“They are looking for something better,” said Winston, a longtime GOP leadership pollster. “The door is wide open for us because people aren’t happy,” he added.
Winston described the 40 percent as a mix of independents, Republicans and Democrats driven more by their worries about the pace of the recovery than politics and the 2012 race. “It’s a mindset more than ideology,” he said. “They are not behaving politically and are looking for someone to fix it,” he added. Winston also called the group the “key group” in the election.
Winston said that the GOP’s goal is to tap into that 40 percent by pushing policy options, such as advocating for the Keystone gas pipeline. “We’ve got to make the argument to these voters,” he said.
