Poll: Obama Leads All GOP Candidates

President Obama is leading all of the Republican presidential candidates in head-to-head match-ups, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Pew's national survey taken March 7-11 shows Pres. Obama is leading Romney by 12 percentage points (54%-42%) and Santorum by 28 points (57%-29%) among voters.

Among the information pulled from from Pew's survey:

Obama's approval rating rises to 50 percent

For the first time since Osama bin Laden was killed last summer, half of all Americans (50 percent) say they approve of Pres. Obama's job performance, while just 41 percent disapprove.

Most think Pres. Obama will win a second term

By a 59-32 margin, most Americans think Pres. Obama will win the election if Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee. That margin is far wider if Rick Santorum is the GOP nominee: 68 percent think Obama would win, while just 24 percent predict a Santorum presidency.

A majority of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Republican candidates

Confirming fears among Republicans that the protracted primary is weakening all the candidates, the survey found that the contentious Republican primary has taken a toll on the image of the leading GOP candidates. In the current survey, just 29 percent of Americans say they have a favorable view of Romney, while 51 percent say they have an unfavorable impression.

Republicans are struggling with women and minorities

Pres. Obama's lead over Romney is attributable in large part to his wide advantage among women, younger voters, and nonwhites. Women favor Pres. Obama over Romney by 20 points—virtually unchanged from a month ago.

Nation split over federal health care overhaul

Two years after the passage of the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, which the GOP deride as "Obamacare," the public is evenly divided over the law.

Overall, 47 percent approve of the law, while 45 percent disapprove.

Romney's national lead widening among Republican primary voters

Mitt Romney has regained the lead in the support for his party's presidential nomination, as conservative backing for Rick Santorum has declined. Romney currently holds a 33-24 lead over Santorum among registered Republican and Republican-leaning independent voters, with 20 percent backing Newt Gingrich and 14 percent favoring Ron Paul. The poll was taken before Santorum's double victories in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday night.