Poll: Influentials Say Perry a Leader Who Can Beat Obama

Influential conservatives in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa described Gov. Rick Perry as a George Bush-like leader who can beat President Obama in the latest Huffington Post/ Patch poll.

This week, our poll of 159 political activists, party officials and officeholders in the early primary and caucus states focused on the Texas governor. We heard from 36 of them in Iowa, 52 in New Hampshire and 71 in South Carolina this week.

In the national poll, nearly 60 percent of officials used a positive word to describe Perry in one word, and only 24 percent used a negative word. And 76 percent of those polled said that Perry could defeat Obama.

In South Carolina, the results were a little more balanced.

In the Palmetto State, 69 percent of those who responded said Perry could beat Obama. And 61 percent of them used a positive word to describe Perry and 25 percent used a negative word.

If you're interested in taking part in our weekly survey, please email me.