A new Gallup poll out today found predictable partisan reactions to Mitt Romney’s speech Thursday at the Republican National Convention.
Forty percent of those surveyed said the Tampa convention made them more likely to vote for Romney, 38 percent said it made them less likely to do so, and 22 percent said it made no difference.
Out of Republicans surveyed, 83 percent answered “more likely” while 74 percent of Democrats said “less likely.” Independents were split across the board: 36 percent more likely to vote for Romney, 33 percent less likely, and 30 percent indicating the convention made no difference.
Gallup said the convention, when compared with historical polling, showed the convention made a smaller impact than the 2008 and 2004 gatherings, with a +2 rating after Tampa and +5 and +3 for the GOP conventions in 2008 and 2004, respectively.
The net impact score, arrived at by weighing whether voters walked away more or less likely to vote for a candidate, isn’t necessarily an indicator of victory. Whereas Barack Obama’s +14 scored trumped John McCain’s +5, John Kerry in 2004 had a +14 score as opposed to George W. Bush’s +3.
When asked to rate Romney’s speech, 20 percent of respondents rated it as excellent, 18 percent good, 21 percent “just okay,” 6 percent poor, 10 percent terrible, and 26 percent didn’t see it or had no opinion.
The 38 percent who rated the speech as excellent or good is the lowest rating of any of the eight speeches Gallup has tested since 1996.
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