A New Poll Has Bad News For Mitt Romney And Jeb Bush

A new poll indicates two leading contenders have actually lost ground since announcing their interest in the 2016 race for the White House.

According to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey released Monday, both 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) are less popular than they were last year.

In September of last year, when Romney was repeatedly insisting he would not run for president again, 32% Americans and 60% of Republicans viewed him favorably.

Now, Romney's popularity has dipped. According to the NBC poll, just 27% of Americans and 52% of Republicans have a positive rating for him. The drop comes after Romney revealed his interest in a potential 2016 run in January.

Bush's ratings have also taken a small tumble since December when he announced he was taking a major step towards running for president and forming a leadership PAC. In November, 26% of Americans and 44% of Republicans viewed Bush positively. Now, 19% of Americans and 37% of Republicans say the same.

Bush, who hasn't run for office in over a decade, is less well known than Romney. He nevertheless has national stature at least partially thanks to the prominence of his family. Both his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and his brother, former President George W. Bush, have recently served in the Oval Office.

Click here for more details on the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.