GOP Nomination: Rudy Down, Thompson in Second, McCain Falls to Fourth
With former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson taking his first formal steps towards a Presidential run and the immigration debate creating challenges for Arizona Senator John McCain, the race for the Republican Presidential nomination has an entirely different look this week....
rasmussenreports.com
Giuliani --- remains on top, but his support has slipped to 23%. That’s down two points from a week ago and is his lowest level of support all year.
Thompson --- the newest face in the race, immediately moved into second place. With 17% support, he is within six points of the frontrunner. That’s closer than anybody has been to Giuliani in 20 consecutive weekly polls. Thompson is also competitive in a variety of general election match-ups with potential Democratic nominees. Among men, Thompson earns 21% support while Giuliani attracts 20%.
Romney --- top choice for 15% of those likely to vote in a GOP primary. That’s little changed from the last couple of weeks and keeps him a single-point ahead of Arizona Senator John McCain who is preferred by 14%.
McCain --- was once seen as the dominant frontrunner for the nomination. He lost that status early in the year when polls consistently placed him in second behind Giuliani. However, as the immigration debate unfolded, he slipped to third place last week and fourth place now. McCain is the only Republican candidate to strongly support the immigration bill currently being debated in the Senate. Just 26% of Americans favor passage of that bill. Only 9% of Republicans believe the current legislation would actually reduce illegal immigration.
Giuliani is viewed favorably by 82% of Republicans and unfavorably by 15%. For McCain, the numbers are 63% favorable, 32% unfavorable. In his home state of Arizona, McCain is currently viewed favorably by just 47% of all voters.
Thompson and Romney have much lower name recognition than Giuliani and McCain. Thompson is viewed favorably by 59% of Republicans and unfavorably by just 14%. Fifty-six percent (56%) of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Romney while 28% hold an unfavorable view.... |
