Despite his description of Social Security as a Ponzi scheme, Rick Perry leads Mitt Romney by 31 points among seniors in the latest CNN poll.
Byron York at The Washington Examiner reported:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s description of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” is drawing lots of criticism from rival candidates Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Newt Gingrich. But so far at least, it’s not drawing much criticism from the voters most affected by the issue.
In a new CNN poll that finds Perry at the front of the Republican pack, the Texas governor’s lead among GOP voters age 65 and older is actually bigger than his lead among younger voters. Fifty-two percent of respondents over 65 say Perry is their choice for president, versus just 21 percent who choose Romney. In the overall numbers, Perry leads Romney 32 percent to 21 percent, with Ron Paul following at 13 percent, Bachmann and Gingrich at seven percent each, Herman Cain at six percent, and Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum at two percent each.
Republican voters over 65 also believe Perry has the best chance of defeating President Obama in next year’s general election. Perry leads Romney 58 percent to 22 percent among older voters on that question.
Breaking down the age results in different categories, Perry leads Romney by 24 percent to 19 percent among GOP voters under 50. Among GOP voters 50 and older, Perry leads Romney by 41 percent to 22 percent.
Maybe voters appreciate an honest candidate, after all.
