Voters split on economic leadership

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Nearly half the respondents to a recent poll indicated the U.S. economy would not improve if a Republican was in the White House.

The Washington Post reported Monday that an equal number of respondents in an Oct. 6-9 poll indicated the economy would do better under GOP leadership as the number indicating it would do worse.

Forty-five percent of respondents in the Post-Bloomberg News survey of 1,000 adults indicated it would make no difference to the economy if a Republican became president.

Fifty-two percent of the respondents indicated they believed another serious economic downturn was on the way.

Among Republicans, however, the numbers show more detail and the respondents indicate more conviction.

Among Republicans, two-thirds indicated they believed the economy would be better off with a Republican president and 22 percent indicated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would be the best choice among the leading candidates if the election were based on the economy alone.

Twenty percent of Republicans indicated Georgia businessman Herman Cain would be the better president on economic issues, while 12 percent indicated Texas Gov. Rick Perry would be the best economic leader among the Republicans running for president.

Only one headline candidate was given negative marks by Republicans.

More respondents indicated Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., would do more harm than good on economic issues than those indicating she would their top choice to lead the economy, the newspaper said.

The poll carries a margin of error of plus and minus 3.5 percentage points.