As California Republicans begin to think about their June Republican presidential primary, they may take note that a poll conducted by Fox News showed that voters who disliked presidential candidate Newt Gingrich outnumbered those who did like him by a two to one margin.
Polls conducted by CBS news and the New York Times spelled out even more of a unfavorable view of the former Speaker of the House, with just under half of respondents saying that did not like Gingrich.
Not only that, but all the polls in question saw Gingrich with less appeal and higher negative feedback than either Mitt Romney, his primary competition for the presidential nomination and President Barack Obama.
Gingrich did just defeat Romney in the South Carolina primary, winning handily and tagging the former Massachusetts governor with the first blemish on his campaign's run for the White House. Still, that defeat may speak more to the fact that voters are not yet convinced Romney is the right man for the job than it speaks to a rousing endorsement of support for Gingrich.
Gingrich's successful ad campaign, which attacked Romney's record, may have worked in the short term, but the tactics did little to cast a positive light on Gingrich himself. He has nevertheless continued to go on the offensive in Florida, which holds its primary at the end of the month. However, going on the offensive is precisely what so many voters find offensive in and of itself.
Gingrich's plan to go negative is probably the reason his own image is taking just as much of a hit as Romney's. As time goes on, people may not be as upset with some of Romney's political positions as they might be with the way Gingrich's campaign has chosen to bring them to light.
So while the momentum does appear to be with Gingrich after his South Carolina win, there's a good chance that the rising tide of distrust with his methods might put the brakes on his momentum sooner rather than later.
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