Although mostly with reservations, Independent Liberal Party leader and Chaguanas MP Jack Warner is almost as acceptable as Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the job of Prime Minister in the marginal constituency of St Joseph.
However, acceptability levels for both are still behind those for People's National Movement (PNM) leader Dr Keith Rowley.
A constituency poll conducted by H.H.B. & Associates for Guardian Media Ltd late last week found that a combined total of 44.2 per cent of those polled consider Warner to be either acceptable or "acceptable with reservations" for the job of PM. This is in contrast to the combined total of 46.8 per cent for Persad-Bissessar and 58.9 per cent for Rowley.
A major disparity becomes evident, however, when the figures are broken down into the categories of "acceptable" and "acceptable with reservations."
A majority 67.4 per cent of those inclined to be favourable towards Warner as PM also have reservations about him. In terms of outright acceptability, a total of 35 per cent chose Rowley in contrast to 29.6 per cent for Persad-Bissessar and 14.4 per cent for Warner.
The St Joseph poll is the third in the series of marginal constituency polls that have been commissioned by GML for CNC3's Tuesday night current affairs programme "On The Margin."
Other findings of the poll, which will be released tonight exclusively on CNC3's "On The Margin" at 8 pm, include job approval ratings for the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader; constituents' rating of incumbent MP Terrence Deyalsingh; priority issues on the agenda of voters in St Joseph and constituents' views on which political party is best placed to deal with their priorities.
St Joseph was won by the People's Partnership in 2010 but switched to the PNM in a hard-fought by-election in 2013 between the PP, PNM and Warner's ILP. See full poll results in tomorrow's Guardian