Three GOP Candidates Beat Obama In Iowa Poll

The Iowa poll conducted by the Des Moines Register is probably something of an outlier. Iowa has been barraged with Republican messaging leading up to the caucuses. In any event, it finds that in Iowa only Newt Gingrich fails to beat Obama in a head to head match, up losing 51 to 37 percent. Willard Romney beats Obama 46 to 44 percent while Santorum does better with a 48 to 44 edge but Ron Paul delivers the coup de grace, lambasting Obama 49 to 42 percent. It's not that Iowa is a predictor of national election results but the polling suggests that Obama is vulnerable to negative advertising and the damage seems long lasting. Iowa launched Obama's career in 2008 when he won the caucuses and gave him a 55 to 44 percent victory over McCain. Now Iowans give him a 46 percent overall approval rating and only a 36 percent approval rating on his handling of the economy.