The Obama campaign was unprepared for a Ryan VP announcement but nevertheless they worked hard to try to establish a negative narrative against him as we rolled into the week. Unfortunately for Democrats, their rehashed, debunked rhetoric about Paul Ryan killing everyone’s grandma — Politifact’s 2011 Lie of the Year — has failed.
The first of new polls measuring the candidate after his introduction to the national stage show high favorability:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters now have a favorable opinion of Ryan, while 32% view him unfavorably. This includes 29% with a Very Favorable view of Romney’s vice presidential pick and 13% with a Very Unfavorable one. Only 13% are now unfamiliar with Ryan, and five percent (5%) are not sure about him. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Just Prior to being picked as Romney’s running mate, only 39% viewed Ryan favorably, while 25% held an unfavorable opinion of him.
Forty-three percent (43%) of voters think Romney made the right choice when he chose Ryan to be his running mate. Twenty-two percent (22%) disagree and think it was a bad choice. A sizable 35% aren’t sure.
But 36% now say they are more likely to vote for Romney with Ryan as his running mate. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say they are less likely to vote for the Republican, while just as many (30%) say the vice presidential selection has no impact on their vote.
This won’t go over well with the left, who are already storming stages.