Nevada entrance poll: Beating Obama matters most

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Campaign 2012

Gary Reed holds up a precinct number sign before the start of caucusing at a high school caucus site, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, in Las Vegas.

(Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Nevada Republican caucus-goers are primarily concerned with defeating President Obama in November, according to early CBS News entrance polling.

As many as 44 percent of Nevada Republican caucus-goers named electability as the candidate quality that matters most, the data shows. Another 20 percent said strong moral character matters the most, while 17 percent said being a true conservative. Sixteen percent say having the right experience matters the most. The entrance poll was conducted as caucus-goers across the state entered their caucus on Saturday.

Electability has been the most important candidate quality in each of the states that have weighed in on the Republican presidential race so far.

Only 22 percent of Nevada voters decided on their candidate in the last few days, the entrance polling shows. Twenty percent decided in January while 57 percent decided earlier than that.

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The economy is far and away the top issue for Nevada Republican caucus goers today, with 54 percent identifying it as their top issue. Another 33 percent said the budget deficit, while 5 percent said illegal immigration and 3 percent said abortion.

The economy has been the top issue in all of the primaries and caucus so far.

As many as 41 percent of Nevada voters said campaign ads were in important factor in their vote; but more - 54 percent -- said they were not an important factor.

Polls in the week leading into the Nevada caucuses showed Mitt Romney with a sizeable lead there -- the former Massachusetts governor won 51 percent of the state vote in the 2008 GOP race. Romney also is likely to draw a boost from the relatively large Mormon population in the state. He also has momentum coming off of a strong victory in the Florida primaries.

Nevada is the fifth state in the nation, and the first Western state, to choose among the candidates in the Republican presidential field. Only registered Republicans can participate in this contest. There are 400,000 active registered Republican voters in Nevada, and 10-15 percent of them are expected to participate in Saturday's events.

The last caucus in Nevada will convene at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time -- that's the earliest time CBS News and other media outlets will make a projection of a winner.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by norcalruss February 6, 2012 6:55 PM EST: Nevada entrance poll: Beating Obama matters most
++++++++++++++++++++
This might explain why the turnout in Nevada, like other states, was about 25% lower than in 2008. They don't have a compelling reason to support any of the candidates but are instead driven by their hatred of president Obama. This is a recipe for disaster in the general election. To date Myth Zombie has only gotten to 50% one time (barely). Support for the plastic, rich boy, flip-flopping, manikin, one-percenter is anemic.; Reply to this comment


by noloyalisti February 6, 2012 3:24 PM EST: The Republicon freak show continues. These clown supporters are supporting Robmee, the slimiest, phoniest opportunist to ever run for President.

I don't know which is worse, the clown show of Robmee or the clowns that would vote for this idiot, lying knucklehead.; Reply to this comment

by grey4449 February 6, 2012 8:15 AM EST

Vote Romney -These are Mormon beliefs
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Mormons, teaches that God the father used to be a man
on another planet, that he became a God by following the laws and ordinances of that God on that planet and came to
this world with his wife (she became a goddess), and that they produce a spirit offspring in heaven. These spirit offspring,
which includes Jesus, the devil, and you and me, are all brothers and sisters born in the preexistence. The preexistence
spirits come down and inhabit babies at the time of birth and their memories of the preexistence are lost at the time.
Furthermore, faithful Mormons, who pay a full 10% tithe of their income to the Mormon church through Mormon temples,
have the potential of becoming gods of their own planets and are then able to start the procedure over again. VOTE ROMNEY.

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by John_Rational February 6, 2012 8:51 AM EST: All true grey4449, but you forgot to mention that any devout Mormon would be horrified at the thought of disobeying the word of G*D as revealed by the Prophet. A Romney presidency will mean their Prophet will be the real president. But in all fairness we would save a lot of money on the Secret Service. I mean, he doesn't need protection because he has his bullet proof magic Mormon underware!!!

by John_Rational February 5, 2012 4:50 PM EST

Go Romney!!! Go Newt!!! Either way the RepubliCONs get there arses kicked until their noses bleed in November! If you kick the radical wing-nuts out of your party before 2016 you might make a come-back, but that's unlikely so say hello to the Torries and the Wigs in the dust-bin of history where you belong!!! Democrats take all in 2012!

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by John_Rational February 5, 2012 7:40 PM EST: Half the history of our nation to date has been one of Republican policies crashing the economy and Democratic economic policies saving it. Most of what we do is clean up your messes.

Oh what a mess we've made so far!

The stock market is higher than it's been since 1997.

Unemployment has droped to 8.3%.

Al Quida is no more.

Manufacturing is coming back from China.

GM is once again the number one car manufacturer in the world.

New housing starts are up.

We are out of Iraq.

We have good diplomatic relations with most other nations again.

If it weren't for Democrat economic policies a lot of you right wingers would be sleeping on sidewalks and standing in soup lines. No that's wrong, under Republican Alice in Wonderland economic policies soup lines would not be provided. Bye Bye in November!


by John_Rational February 6, 2012 7:10 AM EST: jgg00010, You are a perfect illustration of the delusional mind set which grips conservatives. Thank you for mentioning the GDP which is now growing. Everything I said was a fact of reality and everything you said was a gross distortion of the truth of the matter. You people are like a nut case who thinks he is George Washington. Every fact of reality used to prove he is wrong will be perverted and used as proof he is right by the nut-case. Up is down, east is west and good is bad in your sick minds.

But that doesn't matter any more. After November it will be a long time before you wing-nuts can crash our nation with your Alice in Wonderland notion of reality, and economy killing voodoo economics.
You are afflicted with a reality distorting mental illness. I'm not joking. I'm not baiting. You people are quite literally insane.


by GoodShepardSam February 5, 2012 1:46 AM EST: He is opposed because he is a crooked big city con man with a socialist agenda. Alan Keyes is strongly opposed to Obama. Is he a racist? Is Michael Steele a racist? Is this guy a racist? http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2009/12/we-were-tricked-in-2008-now-fix.html

Are these women racists? http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-obama-racist.html
And: http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-obamas-birth-certificate-issue-wont.html; Reply to this comment


by DemoKat February 4, 2012 11:23 PM EST: Most in an entrance poll care about beating the current President? That sounds more like a primary schoolyard scuffle than an adult Presidential primary election for the representative of one of the major American parties in an American free election. In fact, this whole election cycle sounds like the primary school playground at free recess, at least from the group that claims it should be leading the country. I cannot even imagine any of these people talking to heads of state if he didn't like what they had to say. I can hear one of them, "Why, you're just wrong, my friend!". I sha'n't go on, my point is made. I usually love politics, but this year I think I'll just cry in my root beer.; Reply to this comment

by GoodShepardSam February 4, 2012 11:20 PM EST

R.I.P. - The Myth of the Racist Right
http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2011/05/rip-myth-of-racist-right.html
So Much for the Racist Slander Against Conservatives!
http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2011/05/so-much-for-racist-slander-against.html

Reply to this comment


by dzaffina February 4, 2012 11:54 PM EST: well if some rightwing racist blogger says that the racist right is a myth. it must be true, specially if you posted it.


by moshe05 February 5, 2012 2:26 AM EST: but blacks always vote democratic. when alan keyes ran for the republican nomination, he did not get the support of blacks. actually, when jesse jackson ran for the nomination, he did not get the support of blacks either. the laser-like focus on race to explain the world only highlights the increasingly shrill and terrified racism of a right long accustomed to special treatment because of skin color.

by GoodShepardSam February 4, 2012 11:16 PM EST

Do you really think AKA Obama would have won the election if all the things he is hiding were made known?

Do you really think AKA Obama will be able to finish his first term if all the things he is hiding are made known?

Do you think Obama spent a fortune keeping his history secret because there wasn't something to hide?

If Obama said, "I have nothing to hide, but I am hiding it"; would you believe him?

If you are not suspicious of a man who hides his history I have a bridge in the desert I want to sell you.

If you are unwilling to call for an investigation of a man who attempts to sell you a bridge in the desert I have some beach front property in Florida at the intersection of I-75 and Florida # 29 that I want you to buy.

If you place a down payment on a contract for the bridge in the desert and the beach front property in the swamp I would conclude that you voted for Obama.

Obama will be exposed -Don't get caught on the wrong side of this issue

SEE: http://obamaballotchallenge.com/ AND http://www.art2superpac.com/issues.html

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by dzaffina February 4, 2012 11:48 PM EST: another rightwing wacko. i used to think there were just some rightwing radicals, but the comments lately prove otherwise.

by mach1ponie February 4, 2012 10:20 PM EST

I challenge any GOP to refute what I'm about to say...

1) This is a very weak GOP field of candidates. Obama has a chance at winning because of it. There are plenty of candidates that may have won, but they refused to run.

2) Romney is not good enuf, sorry. There are too many things about him that American objects to. Newt should not be running. The only good, honest candidate is not GOP enuf, so is ignored.

3) Most do not blame Obama for the causing the recession, only for not fixing it fast enuf. That is subjective.

4) There are no death panels. Obama is an American. He is a Christian, not a Muslim.

5) Obama is black, and it doesn't matter.

6) You hated Clinton just as much as Obama, even with 8 good years, balanced budget, cheap gas. Newt went after Clinton for cheating (bad) while cheating on his wife (worse).

7) Obama has restored the US reputation around the world. Remember, the measure of greatness is not how you measure yourself, but how you are measured by others.

Reply to this comment


by fedup12 February 4, 2012 11:15 PM EST: 2. I agree. It will be interesting to see Romney go after Obama on the Romneycare Obama put in place.

3. I agree. It was Ws fault. But he shoulda worked onfixing the economy and left fixing healthcare for another day. And not fixed healthcare with a bunch of forced steps to it.

4. agreed

5. It matters to some. Probably more than you would think. I wish it didnt. But I know a lot of people around here hate him just for the color of his skin.

6. ha ha ha I had forgotten about that.

7. I kind of agree with you there. He is a thoughtful person and his foreign policy reflects it.

That being said ... Ron Paul 2012.