Apartment Renters Prefer Obama As Roommate, Landlord Over Romney: Poll

If apartment renters decided the 2012 presidential election, there would be no reason to tune in to debates or follow any news coverage of the race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. According to a survey from apartments.com, the president would win in a landslide, since renters would rather have him as a roommate or landlord than the former Massachusetts governor.

Obama received 66.8 percent in the apartements.com poll of renters registered to vote, compared to just 21.6 percent for Romney. A little more than 4 percent preferred another candidate while 7.4 percent want neither Obama nor Romney or don’t care about the election, according to the survey released Thursday.

When respondents were asked who they think will win the election, Obama had even better numbers, with 78.3 percent of renters polled predicting the president will win re-election.

Obama also proved to be more popular on a personal level with renters than Romney. The survey showed 74 percent would rather have the president as a roommate while only 26 percent preferred Romney.

Apartment dwellers would also rather give their rent checks to Obama, with 74.4 percent saying they would rather have Obama as their landlord and 25.6 percent preferring Romney.

Romney has no need to rent an apartment since he has multimillion-dollar homes in California, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but he should make sure to fold his laundry if he ever plans to move into more modest digs, according to the poll.

Only 27.6 percent of those polled said they would rather fold Romney’s laundry than the president’s. More than 72 percent said they would have no problem folding Obama’s laundry.

Respondents were also polled on what they thought the biggest complaints would be against Obama and Romney if the candidates moved in next door.

More than half – 52.7 percent – said the thought the biggest complaint lodged against Romney would be the “building pool overrun by Romney children and grandchildren.” Loud cheering at Red Sox games came in second at 24.2 percent, followed by “the Olympic torch being run through the building” at 9 percent.

The biggest perceived gripe against Obama was the presidential dog barking, which took 40.2 percent of the vote. That was followed by fitness buff and first lady Michelle Obama hogging the fitness room equipment at 34.3 percent. First children Sasha and Malia running through the halls came in third at 13 percent.