When asked to name the “main person who speaks for the Republican Party today,” 47 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents could not come up with a single name, according to a Gallup/USA Today poll released Wednesday.

Eighteen percent of Democrats, on the other hand, said Rush Limbaugh speaks for Republicans. 

Democrats and Republicans seem to agree that President Barack Obama speaks for Democrats (by 67 and 54 percent respectively), although Republicans are more likely than Democrats (by more than 3 to 1) to say that Nancy Pelosi speaks for the Democratic Party.

In its analysis of the poll, Gallup points out that the lack of leadership is a problem for Republicans, who are gearing up for midterm elections and looking ahead to the next presidential election in 2012.

From the poll:

While being associated with the party of the sitting president gives the Democrats a natural advantage over the Republicans in having a well-defined person representing them, these data clearly underscore the leadership vacuum that confronts the Republican Party today.

Almost half of those who identify with or lean toward the GOP cannot think of a single political or other figure when asked to name the main person who speaks for their party. And none of the three individuals whom Republicans name — Limbaugh, Cheney, and Gingrich — would likely be characterized as new visionaries or individuals bringing a fresh or new face to the Republican political scene. None of the three hold elective office at this time, all are older white males (the youngest of the three is Limbaugh, who is 58), and only one has a realistic chance of running for the presidency in the future (Gingrich).