Poll: Republicans lack a leader

One month after Mitt Romney lost his bid for president, the Republican Party lacks a clear leader, according to a new poll. The Politico/George Washington University Battleground Poll found that Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc, continue to be the most visible leaders, but their favorability ratings are far below counterparts in the Democratic Party.

Romney, who is not expected to seek national office again, received a 47 percent favorability rating among poll respondents, higher than any other Republican except for Ryan, who is also viewed favorably by 47 percent. The survey polled 1,000 registered likely voters and has a 3.1 percent margin of error.

Other Republican leaders, however, are much less well-known, including House Speaker John Boehner who is leading negotiations for the Republicans on the so-called "fiscal cliff." While one-quarter of those polled have never heard of him, 34 percent of respondents have a negative view of him and only 29 percent view him favorably.

Potential Republicans running for president in 2016 have some work to do to gain significant name recognition. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is relatively unknown with 36 percent having never heard of him and 17 percent don't know enough to form an opinion. Only 33 percent have a positive view of the Florida Republican.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush does enjoy higher favorability ratings than unfavorable - 39 percent to 34 percent - but the ratings are far lower than current leaders in the Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, President Obama enjoys the support of 52 percent of respondents and a 50 percent job approval rating. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to be among the most popular Democrats, with 60 percent of respondents viewing the potential 2016 candidate favorably.