Giuliani, Clinton lead in early polling
POLITICO
By: David Mark
Aug 15, 2007 12:38 PM EST
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads GOP rivals among those who expect to vote in a Republican primary or caucus, barely eclipsing not-yet-announced candidate Fred Thompson, according to a new Harris Interactive Poll.
Of the 636 adults surveyed on the Republican side in the online poll Aug. 3-10 – before the Iowa Straw Poll – 30 percent said they would vote for Giuliani, while 27 percent would back Thompson, the former Tennessee senator.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, whose campaign has hemorrhaged money and staff recently, came in third at 14 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who spent lavishly to win the non-binding Iowa contest last weekend, took 11 percent.
The national poll is not necessarily indicative of early primary and caucus results in individual states. But it does provide a snapshot of overall GOP support. Romney has shown strong support among likely Republican voters in the early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa, but lags nationally.
Giuliani's lead comes as the former mayor plays up his national security credentials based on his response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Significant differences with GOP primary voters over social issues – he favors gun control and keeping abortion legal among other positions – have failed to dent his popularity, according to the Harris Poll.
Thompson, whose putative campaign organization has seen staff turnover in recent weeks as he held off announcing his candidacy, dropped slightly in the Harris survey from his 29 percent showing in July.
McCain's standing went down by three percentage points, while Romney inched up from 9 percentage points in July to 11 percentage points this month.
On the Democratic side, in which 1,113 adults were surveyed, 43 percent of those who said they would vote in a Democratic primary or caucus backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), while 27 percent favored Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). Former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) scored 12 percent, a two point drop f
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