The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer: Interview with Mitt Romney

Giuliani: "Disgraceful" that Obama admin. "turned our backs" on Iran
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke to Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell about the differences in the presidential candidate's foreign policy positions.

Poll Watch: PPP (D) Minnesota 2012 Presidential Survey

PPP (D) Minnesota 2012 Presidential Poll

• Barack Obama 53% [51%] (54%) {51%} [51%] (47%)
• Mitt Romney 43% [44%] (39%) {41%} [36%] (42%)

Among Independents

• Barack Obama [48%] (55%) {47%} [42%] (42%)
• Mitt Romney [39%] (32%) {38%} [36%] (40%)

Among Moderates

• Barack Obama [60%] (68%) {63%} [62%] (62%)
• Mitt Romney [32%] (22%) {26%} [19%] (26%)

Among Men

• Mitt Romney [48%] (41%) {48%} [40%] (50%)
• Barack Obama [47%] (52%) {44%} [49%] (40%)

Among Women

• Barack Obama [54%] (56%) {58%} [53%] (54%)
• Mitt Romney [40%] (38%) {34%} [33%] (36%)

Favorable / Unfavorable {Net}

• Mitt Romney 42% [43%] (32%) {29%} [29%] (32%) / 53% [51%] (54%) {56%} [53%] (42%) {-11%} 

Do you approve or disapprove of Barack Obama’s job performance?

• Approve 53% [50%] (52%) {49%} [51%] (49%)
• Disapprove 45% [48%] (43%) {45%} [44%] (46%)

Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of the economy?

• Barack Obama 50%
• Mitt Romney 44%

Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of foreign policy?

• Barack Obama 54%
• Mitt Romney 41%

Who do you think won the debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney this week?

• Mitt Romney 64% 
• Barack Obama 19%

Among Democrats

• Barack Obama 39%
• Mitt Romney 36%

Among Republicans

• Mitt Romney 94%
• Barack Obama 2%

Among Independents

• Mitt Romney 70%
• Barack Obama 12%

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Big Bird?

• Favorable 61%
• Unfavorable 7%

Do you support or oppose federal funding for PBS?

• Support 56%
• Oppose 29%

Among Democrats

• Support 84%
• Oppose 6%

Among Republicans

• Support 20%
• Oppose 62%

Among Independents

• Support 55%
• Oppose 27%

Do you think the Bureau of Labor Statistics is manipulating the unemployment numbers to help Barack Obama, or not?

• It is 30%
• It is not 53%

Among Democrats

• It is 9%
• It is not 81%

Among Republicans

• It is 61%
• It is not 16%

Among Independents

• It is 29%
• It is not 53%

Survey of 937 likely Minnesota voters was conducted October 5-8, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points. Party ID: 38% [35%] (35%) {36%} [38%] (37%) Democrat; 29% [32%] (31%) {33%} [31%] (34%) Republican; 32% [33%] (34%) {32%} [31%] (29%) Independent/Other. Political ideology: 30% [28%] (32%) {29%} [29%] Moderate; 23% [25%] (20%) {22%} [25%] Somewhat conservative; 20% [21%] (20%) {22%} [20%] Somewhat liberal; 14% [16%] (16%) {16%} [15%] Very conservative; 13% [10%] (11%) {11%} [11%] Very liberal.  Results from the poll conducted September 10-11, 2012 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted May 31 - June 3, 2012 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted January 21-22, 2012 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted May 27-30, 2011 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted December 4-5, 2010 are in parentheses.

Poll Watch: Washington Times/Zogby 2012 Presidential Survey

Washington Times/Zogby 2012 Presidential Poll

• Mitt Romney (R) 45.1% [41.1%] {45.7%} (42.8%) [43.6%]
• Barack Obama (D) 44.5% [49.7%] {45.7%} (42.0%) [43.2%]
• Not sure 10.4% [9.2%] {5%} [13.0%]

(Among Obama Voters) Which of the following best describes why you are voting for Barack Obama?

• Want to see him re-elected 66.6% [61.3%]
• Really dislike Romney 14.7% [14.5%]
• Simply voting for Democrat 8.5% [9.1%]
• He is the lesser of two evils 8.2% [11.7%]
• Not sure 2.0% [3.4%]

(Among Romney Voters) Which of the following best describes why you are voting for Mitt Romney?

• Think he is the best candidate 69.4% [58.2%]
• Really dislike Obama 13.4% [16.0%]
• He is the lesser of two evils 12.8% [16.1%]
• Simply voting for GOP 2.4% [5.8%]
• Not sure 2.1% [3.9%]

If the presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote?

• Barack Obama (D) 45.5% [48.7%]
• Mitt Romney (R) 45.0% [41.2%]
• Gary Johnson (L) 1.7% [1.2%]
• Jill Stein (G) 0.3% [0.7%]
• Virgil Goode (C) 0.0% [0.2%]
• Not sure 7.4% [8.0%]

Which candidate do you think would do a better job on:

Jobs and the economy

• Mitt Romney 50.3%
• Barack Obama 43.9%

Foreign affairs

• Barack Obama 49.5%
• Mitt Romney 43.9%

National security

• Mitt Romney 48.0%
• Barack Obama 45.1%

Energy

• Barack Obama 46.0%
• Mitt Romney 45.8%

Immigration

• Barack Obama 48.0%
• Mitt Romney 41.4%

The presidential candidates just held their first debate. Did you watch it?

• Yes, I watched all or most of it 62.1%
• Yes, I saw some of it 16.5%
• Did not watch, but I saw news reports (TV, Internet, radio) 11.2%
• Did not watch or see news reports 9.1%
• Not sure 1.2%
  

Based on what you saw or read about the debate, who do you think won?

• Mitt Romney 64.9%
• Barack Obama 14.4%
• It was a tie 13.0%
• Not sure 7.7%

Based on what you saw or read about the debate, did it change your support for either candidate?

• Yes, in favor of Mitt Romney 8.7%
• Yes, in favor of Barack Obama 4.5%
• No change in my support 85.2%
• Not sure 1.6%
  

In the debate, Mitt Romney said he can cut tax rates across the board to boost jobs while still finding a way to balance the deficit. Barack Obama said the math doesn't add up, and
Romney cannot do both. Which do you think is correct?

• Romney's math adds up - he can cut taxes and balance the budget 43.7%
• Romney's math doesn't add up, and he cannot do both 43.7%
• Not sure 12.6%
  

In the debate, Mitt Romney said he loves Big Bird, but called for eliminating funding for PBS, the station that airs "Sesame Street." Should funding for PBS be eliminated?

• Yes, the government cannot afford to subsidize public television 35.2%
• No, public television is a worthy place to spend taxpayers' money 55.3%
• Not sure 9.6%

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to debate Republican nominee Paul Ryan Thursday.  Based on what you've seen of the two, who do you think will win that debate?

• Paul Ryan 46.4%
• Joe Biden 29.7%
• Not sure 23.9%
  

Regardless of whom you support, who do you think will win November's presidential election?

• Barack Obama 54.1% [57.4%] {48%} (44.9%)
• Mitt Romney 32.4% [29.9%] {37%} (32.8%)

Survey of 800 likely voters was conducted October 5-7, 2012.  The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points. Party ID: 38% Democrat; 35% Republican; 27% Independent.  Ideology: 43% Conservative; 36% Moderate; 21% Liberal.  Results from the poll conducted September 27-29, 2012 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted August 23-25, 2012 are in curly brackets. Results from the poll conducted July 6-8, 2012 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted May 11-12, 2012 are in square brackets. 

Poll Watch: PPP (D) Virginia 2012 Presidential Survey

PPP (D) Virginia 2012 Presidential Poll

• Barack Obama 50% (49%) {51%} [50%] (50%) {51%} [48%] (47%) {51%} [48%] (48%)
• Mitt Romney 47% (43%) {46%} [45%] (42%) {43%} [42%] (43%) {40%} [42%] (43%)

Among Democrats

• Barack Obama 91% (90%) {95%} [93%] (92%) {92%} [88%] (91%) {93%} [89%] (91%)
• Mitt Romney 8% (6%) {4%} [5%] (4%) {5%} [9%] (6%) {5%} [5%] (5%)

Among Republicans

• Mitt Romney 92% (85%) {92%} [92%] (86%) {84%} [79%] (84%) {80%} [81%] (82%)
• Barack Obama 7% (12%) {7%} [5%] (9%) {9%} [8%] (6%) {7%} [6%] (9%)

Among Independents

• Mitt Romney 46% (50%) {47%} [46%] (36%) {46%} [41%] (36%) {37%} [47%] (42%)
• Barack Obama 46% (31%) {45%} [43%] (47%) {44%} [45%] (44%) {48%} [39%] (42%)

Among Moderates

• Barack Obama 60% {60%} [64%] (65%) {62%} [67%] (64%) {71%} [64%] (62%)
• Mitt Romney 38% {34%} [26%] (26%) {28%} [21%] (19%) {24%} [27%] (27%)

Among Men

• Mitt Romney 49% (54%) {51%} [50%] (50%) {48%} [45%] (47%) {43%} [48%] (44%)
• Barack Obama 48% (38%) {45%} [44%] (43%) {47%} [44%] (41%) {47%} [44%] (45%)

Among Women

• Barack Obama 52% (57%) {56%} [55%] (55%) {55%} [51%] (51%) {54%} [51%] (50%)
• Mitt Romney 44% (35%) {42%} [41%] (36%) {38%} [40%] (39%) {37%} [37%] (41%)

Among Whites

• Mitt Romney 57% {57%}
• Barack Obama 40% {40%}

Among Blacks

• Barack Obama 90% {91%}
• Mitt Romney 8% {7%}

If the candidates for President this fall were Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney, Libertarian Gary Johnson, Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who would you vote for?

• Barack Obama 48% {49%}
• Mitt Romney 44% {45%}
• Gary Johnson 4% {2%}
• Virgil Goode 1% {1%}
• Jill Stein 0% {1%}
• Undecided 2% {3%}

Favorable / Unfavorable {Net}

• Mitt Romney 52% {47%} [46%] (38%) {38%} [33%] (34%) {35%} [33%] (33%) / 44% {49%} [49%] (51%) {52%} [52%] (49%) {43%} [48%] (46%) {+8%}

Among Democrats

• Mitt Romney 21% {6%} [9%] (4%) {10%} [19%] (16%) {21%} [11%] (6%) / 76% {90%} [88%] (86%) {80%} [66%] (69%) {62%} [73%] (69%) {-55%}

Among Republicans

• Mitt Romney 87% {90%} [90%] (77%) {71%} [44%] (53%) {52%} [52%] (57%) / 9% {8%} [5%] (16%) {20%} [42%] (34%) {24%} [26%] (28%) {+78%}

Among Independents

• Mitt Romney 51% {48%} [48%] (33%) {40%} [36%] (31%) {34%} [42%] (37%) / 43% {45%} [46%] (51%) {49%} [47%] (44%) {43%} [40%] (38%) {+8%}

Among Moderates

• Mitt Romney 41% {34%} [27%] (24%) {27%} [30%] (30%) {32%} [31%] (23%) / 53% {61%} [64%] (66%) {60%} [56%] (50%) {43%} [50%] (53%) {-12%}

Among Men

• Mitt Romney 53% {51%} [51%] (42%) {42%} [33%] (36%) {36%} [38%] (33%) / 43% {45%} [45%] (48%) {50%} [56%] (51%) {49%} [47%] (50%) {+10%}

Among Women

• Mitt Romney 50% {42%} [42%] (34%) {35%} [33%] (31%) {34%} [28%] (33%) / 45% {53%} [53%] (54%) {54%} [48%] (47%) {39%} [50%] (42%) {+5%}

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Virgil Goode?

• Favorable 13%
• Unfavorable 29%

Do you approve or disapprove of President Barack Obama’s job performance?

• Approve 50% {50%} [49%] (49%) {50%} [48%] (47%) {51%} [48%] (50%)
• Disapprove 48% {48%} [46%] (47%) {46%} [47%] (48%) {44%} [45%] (45%)

Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of the economy?

• Barack Obama 50% {49%}
• Mitt Romney 47% {47%}

Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of foreign policy?

• Barack Obama 51% {51%}
• Mitt Romney 46% {45%}

Who do you think won the debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney this week?

• Mitt Romney 61% 
• Barack Obama 28%

Among Democrats

• Barack Obama 56%
• Mitt Romney 26%

Among Republicans

• Mitt Romney 93%
• Barack Obama 4%

Among Independents

• Mitt Romney 71%
• Barack Obama 17%

Among Moderates

• Mitt Romney 57%
• Barack Obama 28%

Among Men

• Mitt Romney 69%
• Barack Obama 22%

Among Women

• Mitt Romney 54%
• Barack Obama 32%

Are you very excited, somewhat excited, or not at all excited about voting in the 2012 elections?

• Very excited 65% {62%}
• Somewhat excited 23% {25%}
• Not at all excited 12% {13%}

Among Democrats

• Very excited 70% {73%}
• Somewhat excited 21% {21%}
• Not at all excited 10% {6%}

Among Republicans

• Very excited 70% {63%}
• Somewhat excited 19% {26%}
• Not at all excited 11% {11%}

Among Independents

• Very excited 55% {51%}
• Somewhat excited 31% {27%}
• Not at all excited 14% {22%}

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Big Bird?

• Favorable 56%
• Unfavorable 10%

Do you support or oppose federal funding for PBS?

• Support 55%
• Oppose 35%

Among Democrats

• Support 82%
• Oppose 10%

Among Republicans

• Support 20%
• Oppose 64%

Among Independents

• Support 55%
• Oppose 36%

Survey of 725 likely Virginia voters was conducted October 4-7, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 3.7 percentage points. Party ID: 38% (40%) {35%} [37%] (33%) {39%} [33%] (35%) {37%} [39%] (36%) Democrat; 32% (32%) {32%} [30%] (33%) {32%} [36%] (36%) {34%} [34%] (35%) Republican; 30% (28%) {33%} [33%] (34%) {29%} [31%] (30%) {29%} [27%] (30%) Independent/Other.  Political ideology: 27% {32%} [32%] (29%) {31%} [34%] (30%) {31%} [32%] Moderate; 27% {25%} [25%] (26%) {24%} [24%] (21%) {22%} [25%] Somewhat conservative; 19% {17%} [16%] (19%) {20%} [15%] (18%) {18%} [16%] Somewhat liberal; 15% {11%} [12%] (9%) {9%} [9%] (11%) {8%} [11%] Very liberal; 13% {16%} [15%] (17%) {17%} [18%] (20%) {21%} [16%] Very conservative.  Race: 75% {73%} White; 18% {17%} Black; 7% {10%} Other.  Results from the poll conducted September 17-19, 2012 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted September 13-16, 2012 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted August 16-19, 2012 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted July 5-8, 2012 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted April 26-29, 2012 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted December 11-13, 2011 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted July 21-24, 2011 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted May 5-8, 2011 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted February 24-27, 2011 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted November 10-13, 2010 are in parentheses.

This Week: Interview with Robert Gibbs

Poll Watch: PPP (D) Wisconsin 2012 Presidential Survey

PPP (D) Wisconsin 2012 Presidential Poll

• Barack Obama 49% {52%} [49%] (47%) {50%} [47%] (50%) {53%} [46%] (47%) {51%} [48%] (46%)
• Mitt Romney 47% {45%} [48%] (48%) {44%} [46%] (44%) {39%} [43%] (42%) {39%} [38%] (42%)

Note: 2008 Barack Obama 56%, John McCain 43% / 2004 John Kerry 50%, George W. Bush 49%

Among Independents

• Barack Obama 51% {52%} [47%] {53%} [53%] (53%) {57%} [38%] (40%) {47%} [45%] (43%)
• Mitt Romney 42% {43%} [43%] {39%} [35%] (36%) {33%} [42%] (37%) {36%} [33%] (36%)

Note: Independents: 2008 (29%): Barack Obama 58%, John McCain 39% / 2004 (27%): John Kerry 53%, George W. Bush 45%
  
Among Moderates

• Barack Obama 63% {64%} [61%] {67%} [61%] (66%) {67%} [61%] (57%) {67%} [64%] (61%)
• Mitt Romney 30% {30%} [31%] {24%} [29%] (28%) {24%} [29%] (25%) {22%} [20%] (25%)

Note: Moderates: 2008 (47%): Barack Obama 63%, John McCain 36% / 2004 (49%): John Kerry 56%, George W. Bush 44% 

Among Men

• Mitt Romney 50% {47%} [52%] {48%} [49%] (49%) {42%} [49%] (46%) {46%} [44%] (45%)
• Barack Obama 46% {50%} [43%] {46%} [42%] (46%) {51%} [40%] (42%) {44%} [42%] (44%)

Among Women

• Barack Obama 52% {54%} [50%] {53%} [51%] (53%) {54%} [52%] (51%) {56%} [53%] (47%)
• Mitt Romney 45% {43%} [44%] {41%} [43%] (41%) {36%} [38%] (38%) {33%} [32%] (40%)

Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of the economy?

• Barack Obama 49% {51%}
• Mitt Romney 47% {46%}

Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of foreign policy? 

• Barack Obama 50% {52%}
• Mitt Romney 47% {44%}

Who do you think won the debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney this week?

• Mitt Romney 61%
• Barack Obama 25%
• Not sure 15%

Among Democrats

• Barack Obama 50%
• Mitt Romney 29%
• Not sure 21%

Among Republicans

• Mitt Romney 95%
• Barack Obama 3%
• Not sure 2%

Among Independents

• Mitt Romney 60%
• Barack Obama 19%
• Not sure 20%

Among Moderates

• Mitt Romney 51%
• Barack Obama 25%
• Not sure 25%

Among Men

• Mitt Romney 67%
• Barack Obama 20%
• Not sure 12%

Among Women

• Mitt Romney 55%
• Barack Obama 28%
• Not sure 17%

Favorable / Unfavorable {Net}

• Mitt Romney 49% {44%} (45%) {41%} [37%] (38%) {25%} [31%] (32%) {29%} [30%] (33%) / 48% {51%} (48%) {50%} [48%] (49%) {61%} [53%] (48%) {49%} [41%] (45%) {+1%}

Among Republicans

• Mitt Romney 92% {85%} (87%) {81%} [70%] (77%) {43%} [53%] (54%) {46%} [49%] (56%) / 7% {11%} (8%) {9%} [14%] (12%) {34%} [32%] (26%) {30%} [21%] (22%) {+85%}

Among Independents

• Mitt Romney 45% {42%} (41%) {35%} [26%] (30%) {24%} [30%] (31%) {32%} [31%] (34%) / 52% {51%} (50%) {54%} [53%] (53%) {60%} [50%] (44%) {43%} [38%] (46%) {-7%}

Among Moderates

• Mitt Romney 32% {29%} (29%) {22%} [22%] (26%) {19%} / 63% {65%} (61%) {66%} [58%] (60%) {63%} {-31%}

Among Men

• Mitt Romney 51% {48%} (50%) {45%} [42%] (43%) {24%} [35%] (33%) {34%} [35%] (35%) / 47% {47%} (46%) {47%} [43%] (45%) {62%} [51%] (48%) {50%} [42%] (50%) {+4%}

Among Women

• Mitt Romney 48% {40%} (42%) {38%} [32%] (34%) {25%} [27%] (31%) {26%} [25%] (31%) / 49% {56%} (49%) {53%} [52%] (52%) {60%} [54%] (47%) {47%} [40%] (41%) {-1%}

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Paul Ryan?

• Favorable 50% {48%} [49%] {44%} [40%] {41%} [36%]
  
• Unfavorable 47% {47%} [45%] {39%} [35%] {46%} [35%]

Do you approve or disapprove of President Barack Obama’s job performance?

• Approve 49% {52%} [46%] {47%} [44%] (47%) {52%} [44%] (45%) {52%} [49%] (47%)
• Disapprove 49% {47%} [50%] {48%} [50%] (47%) {44%} [51%] (51%) {44%} [45%] (46%)

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Big Bird?

• Favorable 51%
• Unfavorable 11%
• Not sure 39%

Do you support or oppose federal funding for PBS?

• Support 51%
• Oppose 33%

Among Democrats

• Support 80%
• Oppose 8%

Among Republicans

• Support 22%
• Oppose 55%

Among Independents

• Support 50%
• Oppose 37%

Are you very excited, somewhat excited, or not at all excited about voting in the 2012 elections?

• Very excited 61%
• Somewhat excited 26%
• Not at all excited 13%

Among Democrats

• Very excited 63%
• Somewhat excited 27%
• Not at all excited 10%

Among Republicans

• Very excited 72%
• Somewhat excited 22%
• Not at all excited 6%

Among Independents

• Very excited 49%
• Somewhat excited 28%
• Not at all excited 23%

Survey of 979 likely Wisconsin voters was conducted October 4-6, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points.  Party ID: 34% {34%} [32%] (32%) {30%} [28%] (31%) {33%} [37%] (37%) {37%} [33%] (35%) Democrat; 33% {31%} [36%] (34%) {32%} [35%] (32%) {31%} [31%] (34%) {32%} [32%] (31%) Republican; 33% {35%} [32%] (34%) {38%} [37%] (37%) {36%} [32%] (29%) {31%} [35%] (33%) Independent/Other.  Political ideology: 29% {29%} (29%) {28%} {31%} (30%) {29%} [30%] (31%) Moderate; 24% {26%} (24%) {26%} {25%} (25%) {21%} [23%] (22%) Somewhat conservative; 18% {19%} (20%) {18%} {19%} (19%) {22%} [20%] (21%) Somewhat liberal; 16% {15%} (16%) {18%} {15%} (17%) {17%} [17%] (18%) Very conservative; 12% {11%} (10%) {10%} {10%} (10%) {11%} [10%] (7%) Very liberal.  Results from the poll conducted September 18-19, 2012 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted September 12-13, 2012 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted August 16-19, 2012 are in parentheses. Results from the poll conducted July 5-8, 2012 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted May 11-13, 2012 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted April 13-15, 2012 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted February 23-26, 2012 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted October 20-23, 2011 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted August 12-14, 2011 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted May 19-22, 2011 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted February 24-27, 2011 are in square brackets.  Results from the poll conducted December 10-12, 2010 are in parentheses.