Leaderless: The Polls

A new poll confirms a reason why the Democrats have struggled to find their enemy.

As the mid-term election campaign heats up, the public continues to see no clear leader atop the Republican Party. Only a quarter offer a name when asked who they think of as the leader of the party these days. More than half say they do not know and 18% volunteer that “nobody” leads the party,

Those numbers are little changed since the question was last asked in April.

The latest Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection poll, sponsored by SHRM, conducted September 9-12 among 1,001, finds that Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin each are mentioned by 5% of the public. Beyond the 2008 presidential ticket, another 4% mention House Minority Leader John Boehner, who could become speaker if Republicans take control of the House in the elections. Mentions of Boehner have risen from 1% in April.

As I have written, "leaderless out-party" is a very old story.

And Public Policy Polling suggests that Republicans are not all that happy with the plural leadership that they do have:

John Boehner and Mitch McConnell should not rest easy if their party trounces Democrats at the polls this fall, for their base is restless and ready to give some

new blood a chance to lead potential new Congressional majorities next January.

57% of national voters who usually vote in Republican primaries want to replace the

party’s current leadership in Congress, with only 21% preferring to keep Boehner,

McConnell, and company.

Republicans are split over whether Boehner should be elevated to the Speakership, with a third favoring him, a third preferring someone else, and a third unsure. A third also would like someone other than McConnell to become Majority Leader in the less likely event the GOP takes charge of the Senate, but only 27% want McConnell himself.

Contrary to what one might expect, the 69% of self-labeled conservatives are actually considerably more likely to want to retain the status quo than the small minorities who call themselves liberal or moderate.