Another poll seems to suggest that, while the largest segment of voters say that Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” remarks won’t impact their vote, there’s a sizable portion of independent voters who say that it makes them less likely to vote for him:
Almost three in 10 independent voters said Mitt Romney’s comments on the “47 percent” would make them less likely to vote for him in November, nearly twice the number who said the remarks make them more likely to support the GOP presidential nominee.
While a majority of independents — 53 percent — said the comments would have no impact on their vote, 29 percent said it would make them less likely to back Romney, according to aGallup poll. Fifteen percent said it would make a Romney vote more likely.
Overall, 43 percent of registered voters were unswayed by the leaked video, which shows Romney disparaging “47 percent” of the country as dependent on government and destined to support President Barack Obama. A fifth of registered voters said the former Massachusetts governor’s comments made them more likely to support him, compared to 36 percent who said it makes them less likely to support him.
The Romney campaign, no doubt, would point to the fact that the majority of voters, and independents, say that the remarks would have no impact on their vote. That’s a fair and valid point, but in an election where Romney needs every vote he can get, especially in swing states, potentially losing as much as 1/3 of independent voters is nothing to dismiss. I’d be interested to see some state-level polling on this issue to see how things are playing there.
