AIMES – In a late twist in the race for GOP nominee, a framed image of Ronald Reagan has jumped to the top of the polls, hours before the crucial Iowa caucus.
The 8.5×11” framed image of the former president has enjoyed an unexpected surge in polling numbers ahead of the first round of voting.
Political analysts say the painting ticked all the right boxes for a candidate in that it resembled the 40th United States president, was taken in front of an American flag, and was printed at a resolution of 300dpi.
Surprise candidate
The latest polls show the photograph leading with 26% of the vote, followed by Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, all closely followed by “Pass”.
The fact its political stance hasn’t changed in the two decades since the photo was taken gave it the edge against Mitt Romney, according to Fox News political analyst Mark Sanford.
“Every red blooded Republican knows what a great president Reagan was,” said Sanford. “This looks to be a very high quality print too so you have to image it would hold its own in the key battleground states.”
In such a tightly contested fight for the GOP nomination, should Rick Perry continue his alarming slide in the polls, it’s thought “Pass” would likely move ahead of him before the next leg of voting in New Hampshire.
‘Anyone but Mitt’
Rivals have been quick to react by releasing last minute negative campaign ads suggesting the photograph of Reagan was “bad for the economy” and questioning the 2D image’s ability to defeat Obama in a general election.
Up to 41% of Republican voters remain undecided, but caucus-goers in Iowa have admitted they “like the look of the photo” and comended its ability to remain largely silent in the race – an area in which many of its closest challengers have fallen woefully short.
Former advisor to George Bush and current ham loaf lookalike Karl Rove agreed that while “the varnished cherry wood frame appeals to a traditional evangelical Republican base,” he recognised that “today’s voters keep all their photos on Facebook, so I don’t know how far those old school values will play come November.”
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