A January 2012 study conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that endorsements by popular GOP figures could have harmful effects on GOP voters this fall. The study itself is not groundbreaking – everyone knows that an endorsement can make or break a political campaign. Simply look at the scandal that was brought about by Donald Trump just announcing that he would be endorsing. Once all was said and done, Mitt Romney became an even richer man and Newt Gingrich lost face.
According to the study, Republican voters would be more inclined to vote for a Republican candidate who had been endorsed by George W. Bush or Sarah Palin. On the negative side, the same endorsements by John McCain, Donald Trump or Michele Bachmann showed a negative impact on presidential campaigns. The study was based on telephone interviews conducted between Jan. 5-8, 2012 of a nation wide sampling of 1,000 U.S. residents with at least 18 years of age.
View the entire Pew Research Center study here.
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