Week 5/Article: Des Moines Register Poll Shows Mitt Romney In Lead Ahead Of Iowa Caucus

Date: December 31, 2011

Author: Jon Ward and Elise Foley

Summary:

The final Des Moines Register Iowa poll shows Mitt Romney and Ron Paul leading with 24 and 22 percent, followed by 15 percent for Rick Santorum, 12 percent for Newt Gingrich, 11 percent for Rick Perry and 7 percent for Michele Bachmann.

In the final two days of polling, Romney still held with 24 percent, but Santorum moved up to 21 percent. Santorum said in Ottumwa, Iowa, that he's pleased with the poll results and said, "I feel very comfortable that the momentum is in our favor and we're going to surprise a lot of people,".

Santorum his success is from being more confident that he can beat Romney, whom he said many conservatives do not want to win in Iowa. He said he won't do anything differently in the next two days and will continue to be accessible to voters and reporters. "I'm a tortoise," Santorum said. "I just keep moving."

"People are realizing that I can win this," he added. "Probably earlier in the polls, they didn't know that we were doing as well. And I think the fact is that people are now saying, 'Hey, this is a guy that can actually win. We always wanted to be for him, but we weren't because we didn't think he could win.'"

Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond said, "If this is the Super Bowl, then we just saw the pre-game show," said Hammond. "But everyone knows the real action happens after kickoff."

The sample included 302 likely caucus-goers. The chart, like the Register poll, shows Romney leading Paul, with Santorum moving ahead of Gingrich into third place. However, 41 percent of likely caucus-goers said they could still change their minds about which candidate to support.

I. The main problem that is proposed here is Romney's declining popularity. 

II. N/A

III. I learned about how much the polls meant and how well they depicted how well candidates are doing in the election race.

IV. The information doesn't affect me and can't be used by me.

V. The author seems to take a neutral position and simply cites what the polls are and how the candidates feel and and what they're said about them.

VI. The information from this video will affect all the candidates in the public arena because it displays how well they are doing in the election race.

Work Cited: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/31/des-moines-register-poll-mitt-romney-lead_n_1178045.html?ref=mostpopular,iowa-caucus-2012