How Would The GOP Fare With Rubio On The Ticket?

We’re one year away from the next presidential election, so you can forgive the speculation, the polls and the fascination with the political horse race. You can also give yourself permission to indulge, at least a little, in the flights of political fancy that some pollsters think up. The latest “what if” involves Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and his possible placement on the Republican presidential ticket. This isn’t new speculation, but a pollster actually put it to the test. David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston, teamed with  WSVN-TV in Miami to do a poll to test how having Rubio as a Republican running-mate would affect the “political landscape.” According to Suffolk University,

Assuming the selection of Rubio in the vice president spot, the Republican presidential nominee would secure 46 percent to President Barack Obama’s 41 percent, with 2 percent voting for an independent candidate and 12 percent undecided.

The  report does not say when the poll was done; whether the likely voters were polled before or after questions arose about Rubio’s immigrant past. NewsTaco reported on the widely publicized mini-scandal where Rubio’s claim to be the son of exiled Cubans was found to be untrue. It turns out that his father and mother immigrated to the United States several years before Fidel Castro came to [power in Cuba – they were ordinary immigrants, not political exiles. In Florida, the state that Rubio represents, being an immigrant and not an exile is a considerable loss of credibility, especially when one lies about it. But Rubio remains the darling of the GOP, and the Suffolk poll indicates that whoever is the last Republican standing would do him or herself a favor by putting the young Latino on the ticket.

Among Latino voters the  inclusion of Rubio as a running-mate was important:

Rubio’s significant impact was measured among Hispanic voters and younger voters.  For example, with Rubio included as vice president, the Republican ticket wins 53 percent to 33 percent among Hispanic voters and 47 percent to 40 percent among younger voters ages 18-44, where Rubio has broad appeal.

So is that all the GOP needs to do, put a Young Latino on the ticket, to get Latinos to vote for them? They can continue attacking immigrants and stifling voting rights, but if they nominate a Latino for vice-president they win? Wopuld the same apply for the Democrats? If Obama were to dump vice-president Biden for, say, Hillary Clinton, would that be enough to guarantee a win?

The Suffolk poll says yes.

While Obama struggles in the low 40 percent range on job performance and head-to-head matchups with Romney and Cain, he rockets to 50 percent when Hillary Clinton is added to the Democratic ticket.

When asked which ticket voters would support assuming a Democratic ticket of Obama-Clinton or a Republican ticket, 50 percent chose Obama-Clinton; 41 percent would vote Republican; 2 percent would select an independent candidate; and 6 percent were undecided.

Not that Obama would ever dump Biden. Or would he? Like I said, it’s one year away from the election; at this point we can forgive the speculation.