Another round of primaries and caucuses is behind us with Super Tuesday and its 10 participating states in the rearview mirror. Now we can begin to reflect on what we learned from the biggest day on the Republican primary calendar.
So, what did we learn?
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney still outspent his competitors five-to-one in most cases, yet he continued to barely win. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum rolled with the Romney punches and went toe-to-toe with the favorite in another colossal battle.
And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich eked out one measly victory in his home state of Georgia, while Texas Rep. Ron Paul failed to capture any states and remained winless in the GOP contest.
To sum it up best, we are no closer to a resolution in the ongoing primary than we were before Super Tuesday. The only snippet of good news is that Gingrich may well be closer to his political demise and backing out of the race all together. As for Ron Paul, he’s just hanging out.
A question remains, though: Which candidate can beat President Barack Obama in a general election come November?
Dare I say, not one of them.
While it’s true that polling numbers mean little at this point, it can’t be ignored that not one of the Republican contenders is polling well in a hypothetical general election against Obama.
No matter what poll you look at, the same numbers are evident. Romney can’t beat him, Santorum can’t beat him, Gingrich can’t beat him, and neither can Paul. Again, polling numbers mean very little right now, but somebody has to have a shot, right?
Recent polls from Rasmussen Tracking, NBC News/Wall St. Journal, Politico and CNN all have Obama polling better at this point.
According to Real Clear Politics, Romney facing Obama shows an average spread of 5.2 in Obama’s favor. Santorum loses as well by an average of 7.2 percent to Obama. A Gingrich faceoff lends a whopping 12.9 percent deficit to Obama, and Paul loses by an average of 7.5 percent.
Although the race is still up for grabs, it’s obvious this is a two-candidate race between Romney and Santorum.
The problem with Romney is his ineptitude in connecting with lower-income, evangelical and younger voters. His favorability ratings among independent voters remains low, and that’s a segment of the electorate that will play a crucial role come November.
Santorum’s social views are far too extreme for mainstream America, and he’s proven to be an awful debater in the spotlight. Santorum’s best opportunity in the Arizona debate last month had him coming off as the angry man — and pouty, to say the least.
Romney hasn’t separated himself and has been far from brilliant in any debates thus far, as he’s flip-flopped on issues across the board. Because of this, it’s tough to say if he’d have any chance at all in a debate against Obama.
Even Republican commentator and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can see that.
“I also believe that [Romney] is the one that President Obama would love to debate and run against in November,” Palin told Fox’s Greta Van Susteren.
Republicans can do better, no doubt, but this crop of contenders has much on which to improve before they can win over voters standing in the middle. They must hone their message and end the mud-wrestling match that has turned off so many. The real focus needs to be on defeating Obama.
Romney holds the advantage against all of his competitors at this point, but in a general election, it’s Obama who holds all the cards.
He’s a master in debating, a skilled campaigner, a record-breaking fundraiser. Not to mention he’s the incumbent. Since the end of World War II, only three incumbent presidents have lost a re-election bid: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush.
For now, President Obama and his campaign staff can sit back and enjoy the show while the disconnected GOP candidates continue to bash each other — all the while providing fodder for Obama’s re-election bid in November.
Matthew Westfall is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Winchester, Va. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mwestfall.
 
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Contact Matthew Westfall at [email protected]