[Carfanate]

http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/sto...nt-third-party



"A national poll of likely voters released by Rasmussen Reports Tuesday shows that Ron Paul, who is the only major opponent that Mitt faces for the Republican presidential nomination, would be a major factor if he made a third-party presidential bid in 2012.

The poll shows that in a three-way race, former Massachusetts governor takes 44 percent followed by President Barack Obama with 39 percent and Texas congressman Paul in third with 13 percent. While the poll shows that Paul would not garner the level of support that Ross Perot took in his presidential bid in 1992, it also shows that Paul has more of a base than several recent independent and third-party presidential bids, including then-Congressman John Anderson’s in 1980, Ralph Nader’s various presidential bids, Pat Buchanan’s Reform Party run in 2000 and Paul’s own campaign in 1988, when he was the Libertarian nominee. "