At this stage in the proceedings,
we would expect Republicans to find the field candidates much more appealing, writes Steve Benen:
As the Pew Research Center found, rank-and-file Republicans are finding themselves less satisfied with their presidential choices, not more. As the Pew report, released yesterday, explained, "In fact, more Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters say the GOP field is only fair or poor (52%) than did so in early January (44%)." In other words, this field of candidates isn't just unappealing to the party's own voters; it's increasingly unappealing.
Kevin Drum
isn't surprised:
But how unusual is this, really? Maybe someone with a vast collection of past polling data can weigh in on this, but I'm not sure that we're seeing anything all that out of the ordinary. Campaigns usually get nastier as they get closer to their endgames, and that nastiness often translates into increased voter dissatisfaction. This year's Republican primary only entered its nuclear phase after New Hampshire, and it's not too surprising that this has driven up everyone's negatives.
