New national poll finds John Kasich would soundly beat Hillary Clinton

[cali]

Despite lagging in support among Republican primary voters, Ohio Gov. John Kasich currently is the GOP's best chance by far against Hillary Clinton in the November election, a new national poll found.

The USA Today / Suffolk University poll, released Wednesday, found Kasich would beat Clinton 49 percent to 38 percent in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup. The next-closest Republican candidate is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who the poll shows leading Clinton 48 percent to 42 percent.

The poll showed businessman Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as being neck-and-neck with Clinton, 44 percent to 43 percent, and 45 to 44 percent, respectively. The margin of error for the poll, conducted between Feb. 11 and Feb. 15, is plus or minus 3 percent.

But Kasich does not fare so well with likely Republican primary voters, who actually will pick the Republican presidential candidate. In this group, Kasich polled at 7 percent, good for fourth place in the six-candidate primary race. Trump received 35 percent, followed by Cruz (20 percent), Rubio (16 percent), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (6 percent) and Dr. Ben Carson (4 percent).

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http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/02/new_national_poll_finds_john_k.html

[aaaaaa5a]

1. It doesn't matter. Katich can't win the GOP nomination.

I am concerned about him being a VP pick. If that is the case, we may have to find a route to 270 that does not include Ohio.

[cali]

2. Oh, I think he can.

[bklyncowgirl]

8. The Republican establishment almost always wins in the end.

This time in 2012 Romney looked like he was in trouble. When all the shouting was over, he was the nominee and everyone fell in line.

Bush was the early establishment pick but if the polls are correct he should crash and burn in South Carolina. Kasich unlike Bush appears to have a pulse. I could see them uniting behind him against Trump and Cruz rather than pretty boy Marco who's been exposed as a lightweight.

Kasich's big advantage is no one knows much about him and therefore he's not scary. He could very well beat Clinton. I'm not sure how he'd match up against Sanders.

[HereSince1628]

13. The supporters of the droppouts find another candidate ...

the thinning of the overly large field will result in some survivors gaining in support.

We're still few weeks away from that shifting vote resulting in a competitor to the radicals that breaks 30-35 percent.

At the time we can say "then there were 3" it's going to be more obvious who the survivor will be.

[TBF]

15. I know some of these folks here in TX -

established money republican types. They will take him. They think he's liberal but they hate Cruz. It's very odd because he went to school down here (Cruz that is). I think they are just really pissed that Jeb! has tanked and that they are left with Cruz and Rubio. If Roboto can pull himself together he could be the candidate with Kasich as VP, but he's just not that bright. But what if it's Cruz as VP - nod to the religious right.

Kasich/Cruz - ponder that for a moment.

That is possibly the best ticket they can put together at this point, and it will mean escorting Trump out which is not going to look great (but they will do it).

[thesquanderer]

17. Kasich may be the GOP's Sanders

i.e. the candidate who would have the best chance in November, but yet is not favored to get the nomination.

[stonecutter357]

3. " this posts has been hidden by a DU Jury" DanTex.

[stonecutter357]

5. " this posts has been hidden by a DU Jury" DanTex.

stop stalking me

[PonyUp]

6. Not stalking. Just catching you in a lie. n/t

[stonecutter357]

7. no one lied i did trash it so ,

I will accept your apology now.

[CorporatistNation]

10. Hmmm... Does The Same Thought Occur To You When You Consider Statements Made By YOUR

Preferred candidate? DOuble Standard?

[RBInMaine]

9. Polls like this right now mean NOTHING. Absolutely NOTHING.

[cali]

11. Yes they do. Sure, it's a snapshot, but apply a little common sense

Nothing so motivates Republicans and a lot of independents, like voting against Hillary. Her favorables suck and keep dropping. She does not have Obama's abilities. There is a deep vein of anti Clinton and Bush.

[Recursion]

12. That's a weird claim to make

Polls always mean something.

If you're saying that would not reflect the voting pattern after a 4-month national campaign, sure, I agree. But if you think they're legitimately meaningless, that's kind of obtuse. Four candidates seem to have struck a nerve that people found honest: Trump, Sanders, Kasich, and O'Malley (and for O'Malley that was about 7 of us, but "honesty" was always his chief polling virtue). Kasich is probably going the way of O'Malley (God, I hope so, because I don't think we can beat him). But asking random people you call up questions about politics is actually a kind of meaningful enterprise.

[Betty Karlson]

14. Given a choice between a real Republican and a Democrat acting like a Republican...

... Truman's word still ring true.

[Schema Thing]

16. This is my biggest worry

If Kasich pulls through - and it could happen... and Hillary is the Dem nominee.... It's a disaster.

[dsc]

18. funny but the same poll has Sanders losing (albeit by a smaller margin)

but you didn't mention that, I wonder why.

[cali]

19. Because I was talking about. Hilly. I don't owe you anything.