Romney announces bid for presidency

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/13/opinion/polls/printable2469572.shtml

Poll: Romney's Mormonism May Be An Issue
NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2007(CBS) Republican Mitt Romney, a Mormon who
announced his candidacy for president on Tuesday, may face an obstacle
because of his religion, according to a CBS News poll.

A majority of Americans say they would vote for a qualified Mormon
from either party for president, but fewer have favorable views of the
Mormon religion than of many other faiths.

The poll asked Americans whether they would support a Mormon candidate
for president, without mentioning Romney's name. Sixty-three percent
said they would vote for a qualified Republican who was Mormon, and 66
percent said they'd back a qualified Democrat who was Mormon. But
about one in four people said they would not vote for a Mormon
candidate for president.


VOTE FOR A QUALIFIED MORMAN CANDIDATE IF HE/SHE WERE… (Among registered voters)

A REPUBLICAN:
Yes
63%
No
27%

A DEMOCRAT:
Yes
66%
No
24%

The percentage of Americans who said they would vote for a Mormon for
president was smaller than the number who said they'd vote for either
a woman or a black candidate in a CBS News poll conducted last month.

In that poll, more than eight in 10 voters said they'd support a
qualified black candidate of either party. Seventy-seven percent said
they'd vote for a woman if she were a Republican, while 82 percent
would back her if she were a Democrat.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, remains unknown to the vast
majority of Americans, including eight in 10 Republicans, according to
the poll, which was conducted before he made his announcement.

Romney is not the first presidential candidate whose religion is an
issue to some voters. When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960
there were concerns about his being a Catholic. But in a May 1960
Gallup Poll, 71 percent of Americans said they would support a
well-qualified Catholic candidate for president.

Americans have a less favorable view of the Mormon religion than most
other faiths. Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, and Christian
fundamentalism were all seen more positively than Mormonism in the
poll. Only Islam, of all the religions asked about, ranked lower.

Twenty-five percent of Americans said they have a favorable impression
of the Mormon religion, while three in 10 have an unfavorable
impression. Another 39 percent haven't heard enough about the religion
to say.

Other religions are viewed more favorably: Protestantism (61%),
Catholicism (51%), Judaism (48%), and Christian fundamentalist
religions (35%).


WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF…?

Protestantism/other Christians:
Favorable
61%
Unfavorable
13%
Haven't heard enough
23%

The Catholic religion:
Favorable
51%
Unfavorable
30%
Haven't heard enough
17%