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January 23, 2012Florida GOP Primary: Gingrich 41%, Romney 32%
Less than two weeks ago, Mitt Romney had a 22-point lead in Florida, but that’s ancient history in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Following his big win in South Carolina on Saturday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich now is on top in Florida by nine.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Republican Primary Voters, taken Sunday evening, finds Gingrich earning 41% of the vote with Romney in second at 32%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum runs third with 11%, while Texas Congressman Ron Paul attracts support from eight percent (8%). Nine percent (9%) remain undecided.(To see survey question wording, click here).(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
This Florida survey of 750 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on January 22, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
January 23, 2012A Few Words in Defense of Negative Campaigning By Michael Barone
Those who take a certain pleasure in denouncing the evils negative political advertising should have spent the last week in South Carolina. They could have plunked down in front of TV sets, especially during morning, early evening and late evening news programs, and by adroit use of the remote control seen one negative spot after another.

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                            January 22, 201258% Favor Welcoming Immigration Policy
When it comes to immigration reform, most voters continue to feel border security should be the main focus but also think it’s important to create a welcoming policy that excludes only threats to society.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 58% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the goal of immigration policy should be to keep out national security threats, criminals and those who come to America to live off the welfare system.  Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree, while 15% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on January 17-18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 22, 201258% Say U.S. Needs New Campaign Finance Laws
Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, think the country needs more campaign finance laws but a plurality still opposes public financing of presidential elections. They’re evenly divided over whether incumbents should be banned from receiving campaign contributions of any kind.
 Fifty-eight percent (58%) of adults now say the country needs new campaign laws, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That’s a marked increase from three years ago. Now only 33% think it’s enough to just enforce the laws we already have. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on January 18-19, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
January 21, 2012Romney's Opponents Look for the Spirit of '76 By Geoffrey Skelley
While Mitt Romney may very well be on his way to winning the GOP nomination, he is not completely out of the woods yet. With so many primaries and caucuses left to be decided, it is perfectly possible that other candidates will win some of the remaining states as long as they stay in the race. We only have to look at the party nomination struggles in 1976 to see how frontrunners who started fast ended up facing long, hard slogs to the nomination.

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                            January 21, 201252% See Home Buying As Family’s Best Investment
For the first time in nine months, more than half of Americans believe purchasing a home is the best investment for a family, but this finding is still well below results measured several years ago.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 52% believe buying a home is the best investment a family can make, up from 47% last month and the highest level measured since May 2011. Nearly a third (30%) say home buying is not a family’s best investment, while 18% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 U.S. Adults was conducted on January 16-17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
January 21, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending January 20, 2012
And then there were four. The South Carolina Primary claimed two of the Republican presidential hopefuls this past week – Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry – before a single vote was cast. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are now running nearly even, but with all the charges in the air, who knows if that will last until the votes are counted this evening?
Gingrich surged ahead of Romney 33% to 31% in the final Rasmussen Reports survey of the South Carolina Republican Primary race taken Wednesday evening. Two days earlier, before a strong debate showing by Gingrich and Sarah Palin’s endorsement of the former House speaker, it was Romney by 14 percentage points. 
Texas Congressman Ron Paul ran third on Wednesday with 15% of the vote, followed by former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum at 11%. Paul's support held steady while Santorum's support dropped five points since Monday.  At the beginning of the month, after Santorum’s strong showing in the Iowa caucuses, he ran second to Romney with 24%. Perry pulled two percent (2%) support Wednesday evening but has since dropped out of the race.
January 20, 2012WHAT AMERICA THINKS with Scott Rasmussen cleared on WCBS-TV
Telco Productions has cleared WCBS-TV, New York for the launch of the half-hour weekly, What America Thinks with Scott Rasmussen, for fall, 2012.

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                            January 20, 201247% Favor Candidate Who Would Raise Taxes on Wealthy
More voters support a candidate who promises to raise taxes only on the rich over one who opposes all tax hikes, but roughly half feel tax increases of any kind would hurt the nation’s economy.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters finds that 47% say they’d vote for a candidate for office who promises to only raise taxes on the rich, while 36% favor a candidate who opposes all tax increases.  Another 18% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 15-16, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 20, 201247% Support Pulling U.S. Troops Out of Europe
With Congress looking for ways to make substantial cuts in the federal budget, nearly half of voters continue to say it’s time for U.S. troops in Europe to come home.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 31% of Likely U.S. Voters think the United States should not remove all its troops from Western Europe. However, 47% favor withdrawing those troops and letting the Europeans defend themselves. Twenty-one percent (21%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 13-14, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 20, 2012Confidence In Housing Market Improves
Belief among homeowners that home values will increase during the next few years is the strongest it has been in a year, as is confidence that their homes are worth more than what they still owe.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of homeowners shows that 21% now believe their home will be worth more in a year, up seven points from last month and the highest result measured since February 2011. Still, 27% say their home will be worth less in a year’s time, while 51% expect its value to remain about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 670 U.S. Homeowners was conducted on January 16-17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
January 20, 2012Tax Day: Will Romney Make April Fools of Republicans By Joe Conason
Mitt Romney's latest flip-flop is almost complete. Having vowed a month ago not to release his federal income tax returns, the Republican presidential front-runner conceded during Saturday night's debate that he would "probably" release his returns, and then on Tuesday afternoon finally said he will do so -- in April, long after he is likely to have secured his party's nomination. With characteristic arrogance, he excused the delay by suggesting that April 15 is the traditional date when public officials supply this information, which is certainly true if you're already president.
January 20, 2012Voter Disgust: What Might it Mean for the House Race? By Kyle Kondik
We here at the Crystal Ball, and of course our readers, love politics. But Americans don’t, especially now: Congress is historically unpopular, and Americans are so sick of politics that more than two-thirds of them according to one survey wished the presidential campaign was over even before it officially started.

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                            January 20, 2012For Romney, Will Free Markets or Crony Capitalism Be on Trial? By Scott Rasmussen
When his tenure at the investment firm Bain Capital became an issue in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney responded by saying he "was disappointed ... to see one of my opponents attacking free enterprise, just like the president was.”

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                            January 20, 201270% Prefer Free Market to Government-Managed Economy
Americans still put a lot more faith in the private sector than in government when it comes to making the economy work.
Seventy percent (70%) of American Adults think a free market economy is better than one managed by the government. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 15% believe a government-managed economy is better. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults nationwide was conducted on January 14-15, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 19, 201261% Favor Immigration Checks On Traffic Stops
Most voters continue to support immigration status checks on routine traffic stops and favor strict sanctions on employers who give illegal immigrants jobs. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 61% of Likely Voters agree that if a police officer pulls someone over for a traffic violation, the officer should automatically check to see if that person is in the country legally.  Thirty percent (30%) disagree.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on January 17-18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 19, 2012Election 2012:  Obama 48%, Santorum 38%
President Obama now holds a 10-point lead over former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in a hypothetical 2012 presidential election matchup.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows Obama with 48% of the vote to Santorum’s 38%. Nine percent (9%) prefer some other candidate, and five percent (5%) remain undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).   Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 17-18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 19, 2012South Carolina: Gingrich 33%, Romney 31%, Paul 15%
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has now surged ahead of Mitt Romney in the final Rasmussen Reports survey of the South Carolina Republican Primary race with the vote just two days away.
The latest telephone survey of Likely GOP Primary Voters in the state finds Gingrich with 33% support to Romney’s 31%. Two days ago, before the last debate, it was Romney by 14 percentage points.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul now runs third with 15% of the vote, followed by former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum at 11%. Paul's support is steady while Santorum's support has dropped five points since Monday.  At the beginning of the month, just after Santorum’s strong showing in the Iowa caucuses, he ran second to Romney with 24% of the vote. 
Texas Governor Rick Perry continues to run last with two percent (2%) support. He has dropped out of the race today and endorsed Gingrich. One percent (1%) of likely primary voters like some other candidate in the contest, and six percent (6%) remain undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
This South Carolina survey of 750 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on January 18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            January 19, 2012Only 35% Support U.S. Military Action If Sanctions Won’t Stop Iran
Most voters don’t expect economic sanctions to discourage Iran from continuing its development of nuclear weapons, but most also don’t support U.S. military action if those sanctions fail.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 27% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is even somewhat likely that stiff economic sanctions will force Iran to disband its nuclear program. That includes only six percent (6%) think it’s Very Likely. Sixty-three percent (63%) feel the sanctions are unlikely to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons development, with 17% who say they’re Not At All Likely to do so. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters each were conducted on January 17-18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
January 19, 2012How "Downton Abbey" Is More Democratic Than We Are By Froma Harrop
Every Sunday night, the mega-carriages drop millions of us off at "Downton Abbey," the hit PBS series about an aristocratic family, its English country estate and the complexities of being Them at the dawn of the 20th century. We revel in the patricians' finery, their posture, their free time and their skill at draping the sharpest remarks in tempered rhetoric. And we marvel at their access to over a dozen specialized servants meeting every need. The servants live off the kitchen or with the horses.