Bad News For Mitt Romney

A new ABC News/Washington Post Poll has eventual Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in big trouble. Still reeling from his 19 point gender gap among women, this latest poll reinforces those numbers. Ever since Romney became the de facto nominee, his numbers have been stagnant, while the presidents have been on the rise. In fact, he has the lowest favorability rating recorded since 1984. He's the first likely nominee to be underwater (seen more unfavorably than favorably), in ABC/Post polls in eight presidential primary seasons over the past 28 years. So lets look at the numbers.

Overall Personality Approval Rating:

Obama: 56% (+21)
Romney: 35%

Approval By Women:

Obama: 58% (+21)
Romney: 27%

Approval by Men:

Obama: 53% (+9)
Romney: 44%

Among Registered Voters:

Obama: 54% (+11)
Romney: 43%

Among Independents:

Obama: 53% (+19)
Romney: 34%

President Obama also holds a strong lead among moderates. He has a higher rating among liberals, than Romney does with conservatives. He is even among whites, but leads among non-whites, Hispanics, people with income both above and below 50K, young adults, and people both married and un-married.

Three numbers that are devastating for Romney are 1) A 21% gap among women 2) A 19% gap among independents 3) A 40% gap among Hispanics. If these numbers hold Romney doesn't have a prayer. However, with 6 months to go anything can happen, but it's clear Romney has his work cut out for him. Even now with the nomination in the bag, many Republican leaders in Congress are still hesitant to endorse Romney. If his own party thinks he's a leper, how can he expect to generate enthusiasm among the American people? There is no question the primary process has left him damaged. The question now is with so many negatives against him, can he close the gaps and repair the damage by November? Barring some kind of economic collapse, I thinking probably not.