Marist Poll: 44% Wouldn't Vote for Obama in 2012

A new poll found that, although former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are President Barack Obama’s toughest GOP opponents at this point, a huge bloc of voters won’t vote for the president no matter what.

A McClatchy-Marist poll found that 44 percent of registered voters said they definitely would vote against Obama in 2012, while only 37 percent said they definitely would vote for him, and 18 percent were undecided, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

The president is in a statistical tie with Romney, and just edges out Huckabee. Those polled sided with Obama over Romney 46 percent to 45 percent of the time. The president bested Huckabee with only 48 percent support to 43 percent.

The poll was conducted from April 10-14 while Obama and Republicans were in the middle the bruising debate over the federal budget. The results reflect the political divide in the country and independents’ dislike of political fights.

"This is evidence of the political polarization that exists in the country," said Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll. Independents "don't like the bickering."