Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.), in the midst of a fierce Republican primary fight to hold onto his Eastern Shore-based seat, has also hit rock-bottom with many of his Republican constituents, according to a newly released poll.

The poll, commissioned by state Sen. EJ Pipkin’s campaign, shows 60 percent of likely Republican voters having a negative opinion of the nine-term congressman. That’s nearly doubly his approval rating of 36 percent. Only 29 percent of voters said they would definitely reelect Gilchrest, a dangerously low number.

And Gilchrest only receives 33 percent of the vote against two well-financed primary challengers. Pipkin and conservative state senator Andrew Harris each received 27 percent of the vote in the head-to-head matchup.

The poll, conducted between Dec. 18-19, surveyed 300 likely Republican primary voters in the district and has a 5.7 percent margin of error. It was conducted by the GOP polling firm, McLaughlin and Associates.

Gilchrest, known for his moderate voting record, has been taking increasing flak from conservatives, especially over his position on the Iraq war. He was one of only two Republicans who voted for Democratic-sponsored legislation (that President Bush vetoed) calling for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as early as last fall.

He also has been slammed by the anti-tax Club for Growth for supporting pork-barrel spending in television ads airing throughout the district.

The Politico

I have to wonder what Gilchrest thinks of these poll results.  Is he actually surprised by it?  People don’t elect Republicans to vote like Democrats, so this shouldn’t be shocking to anyone.  He can still survive the primary challenge, though, because he has two opponents not one, which makes it very difficult to oust him.

THERE IS A reason Mitt Romney has not received a single newspaper endorsement in New Hampshire. It’s the same reason his poll numbers are dropping. He has not been able to convince the people of this state that he’s the conservative he says he is.Like a lot of people in New Hampshire, we wanted to believe Romney. We gave him the benefit of the doubt. We listened very carefully to his expertly rehearsed sales pitch. But in the end he didn’t close the deal for us. Now, two weeks before the primary, the same is happening with voters.Republicans and right-leaning independents in New Hampshire gave Romney a chance. His events have not been sparsely attended. Nor have they been scarce. He’s made more campaign stops here this year than any other Republican, even John McCain.

And after a year of comparing Romney to McCain, of sizing up the two in person and in the media, Granite Staters are turning back to McCain. The former Navy pilot, once written off by the national media establishment, is now in a statistical dead heat with Romney here.

How could that be? Romney has all the advantages: money, organization, geographic proximity, statesman-like hair, etc.

But he lacks something John McCain has in spades: conviction.

Granite Staters want a candidate who will look them in the eye and tell them the truth. John McCain has done that day in and day out, never wavering, never faltering, never pandering.

Mitt Romney has not. He has spoken his lines well, but the people can sense that the words are memorized, not heartfelt.

The Union Leader

We have a Bingo! I have been saying this for months. Romney is not genuine. His record as governor and his campaign stances when running for the U.S. Senate completely conflict the supposed views he now espouses. Every time I listen to him I just feel like he sounds scripted. We have eight days until Iowa. He could still possibly come out on top there, but I don’t think he is going to have an easy battle in New Hampshire.