Polls show G.O.P.s best hope for election win is to run against Hil:
Other two possible Dem. candidates - running as much as 10 points stronger among Independents - run stronger against all of the possible G.O.P. candidates from the top tier.
Both Rudy and Hil, although each leading among their respective Party's base voters, are less popular among Independents and the opposing Party's base than Obama, Thompson or Edwards are.
Hillary Clinton shakes off shots, still leads poll
BY CELESTE KATZ
DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
Sunday, November 4th 2007, 4:00 AM
2008 election countdown
nydailynews.com
Hillary Clinton may have taken some body blows during last week's Democratic debate, but Democrats still peg her as their top White House pick, a new poll finds.
Both Barack Obama and John Edwards unloaded on Clinton during the Oct. 30 debate, intensely questioning both her character and her willingness to provide straight answers on issues like Gov. Spitzer's controversial plan to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses.
But the barrage from Clinton's top Democratic opponents seemingly had little influence on the strength of the New York senator's support.
Clinton pulled 44% of Democrats in a Newsweek survey conducted after the debate aired, versus 24% for Obama and 12% for Edwards.
Clinton continues to lead among both male and female Democrats, but she attracts less support from independent voters than either Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, or Obama, an Illinois senator.
In a theoretical matchup against former senator and actor Fred Thompson, for example, Clinton gets 47% of the independent vote, while Edwards gets 57% and Obama gets 56%.
Former mayor Rudy Giuliani remains solidly ahead of his rivals for the Republican nomination, pulling 30% of the GOP vote, the poll found.
Like Clinton, Newsweek said, his support is strongest among those registered with his party. Giuliani's support is less solid among people who only "lean" toward voting Republican.
Thompson's support has sagged to 15%, down from August's 22%, although he is still ahead of Arizona Sen. John McCain, who pulls 14% of Republicans, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who trails at 12%.
In a general election matchup, Clinton came out narrowly ahead of Giuliani, 49% to 45%.
The former First Lady also bested both Romney and Thompson - but, notably, not by as wide a margin as either Edwards or Obama.
Throwing Mayor Bloomberg into the mix, Newsweek also noted that if the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent got into the race, "he'd do more to help the Democrats," according to the poll.
In a three-way matchup, Clinton leads with 44%, compared to Giuliani's 38% and Bloomberg's 11%.
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Nov. 15: Las Vegas - The next Democratic debate.
Nov. 28: Republicans debate in Florida, whose Jan. 29 primary is a must-win for Rudy Giuliani.
Dec. 31: Fourth-quarter fund-raising reports due. Could be critical cut-off for second-tier candidates with little cash to burn.
Jan. 3, 2008: The voting begins - Iowa presidential caucus. Does Romney hang out to first in Hawkeye State? Does Hillary stage come-from-behind win?
Jan 8.: Possible date for New Hampshire presidential primary. Who's got the momentum?
Jan. 10: GOP debate in South Carolina, home to first-in-the-South primary nine days later. The Democratic primary there is Jan. 26.
Feb. 5: Super-duper Tuesday. Twenty-two states - including delegate-rich New York, New Jersey, California, Illinois - hold primaries. Big wins could lock up nominations.
Mar. 4: If no clear winner on Feb 5., final showdown will likely shift to primaries in Ohio and Texas.
Aug. 25-28: Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Sep. 1-4: Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Fall 2008: Presidential and vice presidential debates.
Nov. 4: Election Day.
Jan. 20, 2009: The 44th President of the United States is inaugurated. The Bush era ends. |
