A new Gallup/USA Today poll finds the majority of Americans believe Paul Ryan is unfit to become President, or are unsure if he is fit, and overall, think Mitt Romney‘s choice of Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate is a poor choice.
“Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, is seen as only a ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ choice by 42% of Americans vs. 39% who think he is an ‘excellent’ or ‘pretty good’ vice presidential choice,” USA Today reports:
USA TODAY/Gallup polls of registered voters after the announcements of running mates since Dick Cheney in 2000 all showed more positive reactions. Only Dan Quayle in a 1988 Harris Poll of likely voters was viewed less positively than Ryan, with 52% rating Quayle as a “fair” or “poor” vice presidential choice. The Ryan poll includes all adults, not just registered voters.
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Republicans, however, see the appeal in Ryan, who was hailed this weekend as a bold, innovative thinker by party stalwarts. The poll finds 36% of Republicans are now more likely to vote for Romney. In 2008, only 3 in 10 Republicans said the choice of Palin made them more likely to vote for McCain.
The USA TODAY/Gallup survey also finds 48% of Americans view Ryan as qualified to be president if something should happen to Romney, while 29% do not and 23% were undecided. Only Palin, then the governor of Alaska, and Quayle, a two-term senator from Indiana, were rated lower than Ryan.
The poll of 1,006 adults was taken Sunday. It has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.
Of course, it doesn’t matter what the majority of Americans think about Ryan — only what Republican and Independent voters think. And, fortunately, there certainly are many voices on the right who are also unhappy with Ryan.
Bottom line: make sure you’re registered to vote — and make sure you vote!