In the Washington Post today, Ezra Klein offers a contrarian view that says Mitt Romney, as the Republican Party nominee, would perform better than expected in a general election campaign fight with President Obama.
(Gerald Herbert – AP)
Klein offers a few reasons for this prediction, including this:
“Romney’s coalition might end up being broader than it appears. As (National Journal’s) Ron Brownstein notes, ‘Romney carried most voters who did not identify as evangelical Christians in each state except Oklahoma.’ He’s struggling against evangelical Christians and voters who self-identify as ‘very conservative.’
“But will these constituencies really stay home against Obama? And, if they do come out, there’s the prospect that the very qualities that turn them off of Romney — at least, if you assume their issue is ideological rather than religious — could help him make inroads with the more moderate voters who will ultimately decide the election. Again, for the exact reason he’s weak in the primary, he could be stronger in the general.”
Klein cautions that neither Romney nor Obama would be popular nominees. In fact, Romney would have the worst poll numbers of any presidential nominee in recent history. And Obama already has the worst poll numbers of any incumbent president running for re-election in recent history.
Romney continues to fight the image of a well-funded contender, struggling against very weak GOP candidates and campaigns, who’s forced to take positions that will be anathema to the wider electorate. 
The implication is that he will get “torched” by a stronger candidate and campaign, Klein noted.
More recent polling developments signal just how damaged Romney (or Santorum) would be as a nominee. He’s lost 20 points in polls among independent women. And he has a mind-boggling gap of 50 points among Hispanics in a hypothetical match-up with the president.
You can read Klein’s justification for a strong Romney general election campaign here.