Election 2008
Republican Candidates Running in 2008 Presidential Election
Posted on 05/01/2007 5:08:49 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani remains on top in the race for the GOP nomination and now enjoys support from 30% of Likely Voters. That’s more than twice the total of any other candidate. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and Arizona Senator John McCain are tied for second at 14%.
Thompson has been in the 12% to 14% range for each of the five surveys since his name was floated as a possible candidate.
McCain, once considered the dominant frontrunner, has struggled in recent months. His support among Likely GOP Primary voters has fallen eight percentage points since January. His numbers now are strongest among independents likely to vote in a Republican Primary. In Election 2000, McCain did best in open primaries that allowed independents to vote. Then Governor Bush did best in Primary states where only Republicans could vote.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney remains the only other candidate in double digits. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich remains in fifth place with 8% support.
Giuliani is the most popular candidate in either party—62% now have a favorable opinion of him. McCain’s favorability ratings among all voters have also fallen to the lowest level yet measured--49%. Thompson and Romney are less well known, viewed favorably by 35% and 32% respectively. See updated favorability ratings and general election match-ups for all Republican and Democratic candidates.
Among all voters, 44% now see John McCain as politically conservative. That’s a significant increase from 26% in December. What’s truly unusual about perceptions of the Arizona Senator is how consistent they are across party lines. Forty-four percent (44%) of Republicans view him as politically conservative. That view is shared by 45% of Democrats and 43% of those not affiliated with either major party.
Giuliani is seen as politically moderate by 49% of all voters. Twenty-eight percent (28%) see him as politically conservative. By a 68% to 19% margin, Republicans see Giuliani as politically moderate. Democrats are more evenly divided. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of those in Nancy Pelosi’s party see the Republican frontrunner as politically conservative while 36% say he’s politically moderate. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 47% see Giuliani as a moderate while 24% say conservative.
Thompson is less well known. Among all voters, 32% see the actor and former Senator as politically conservative. Twenty-five percent (25%) say he’s politically moderate while 6% say liberal. A plurality, 37%, don’t know enough to have an opinion. Among Republicans, 37% see Thompson as a conservative while 27% say moderate.
While Giuliani retains a sizable lead, the latest polling in the Democratic race shows that New York Senator Hillary Clinton has lost her lead to Illinois Senator Barack Obama.
Democrats currently have public support on their side for the most significant issue of the day—Iraq. Most Americans favor either bringing all troops home from Iraq immediately or establishing a firm timetable for their withdrawal. Most also oppose a Presidential veto of the Iraq funding bill passed by Congress to establish a timetable.
Rasmussen Reports releases updated polling data on the Republican nominating contest every Tuesday. Results for the Democrats are updated on Mondays. The current survey is based upon national telephone interviews with 602 Likely Republican Primary Voters conducted April 23-26, 2007. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
What media are you talking about? Just plug in Rudy’s name on Google or Yahoo or any other search engine and see how much the media loves him. First-hand impressions are hard to break. Rudy was defined on 9/11, and the persistent negative attacks will mostly register only with those who oppose him to begin with. Wishful thinking and reading tea leaves do not translate to reality well.
“Just plug in Rudy’s name on Google or Yahoo or any other search engine and see how much the media loves him.”
Of course, because the media wants the most liberal candidate they can get. If he should win (and I doubt he does), the media would then hammer Giuliani. They did the same thing to McCain. When he was the most liberal they thought they could get vs. Bush...the media was McCain’s base lol (remember that line)...now that he supports the WOT,Iraq...they hate the guy.
“Just plug in Rudy’s name on Google or Yahoo or any other search engine and see how much the media loves him.”
Of course, because the media wants the most liberal candidate they can get. If he should win (and I doubt he does), the media would then hammer Giuliani. They did the same thing to McCain. When he was the most liberal they thought they could get vs. Bush...the media was McCain’s base lol (remember that line)...now that he supports the WOT,Iraq...they hate the guy.
One more reason NOT to want him in the GOP.
How do you answer then the fact that McCain was similarly “well-defined”, and yet the polls about him are swinging wildly in the past three months?
How do you argue that Rudy is different, or not subject to the same change of fortune?
You have a problem with comedic charity events?
Thank you so much!
Scott Rasmussen was just interviewed on KSFO. He said that over 50% of Republicans are not really committed and that the race is wide open.
I don’t think Giuliani should be feeling smug.
I believe you misread my post. Read the whole post. They’re hammering him now.
You might be right, but if the media can destroy any Republican candidate at will (there are negatives out there for Romney, Thompson and the rest), what’s the point of bothering to vote at all?
“I believe you misread my post. They’re hammering him now.”
Yes, I misread that. They are going after him now due to being a frontrunner and his notching up critique of the Dems. But this is nothing compared to him being the nominee...they’ll obliterate him.
The GOP is not a pro-life party any more. If Giuliani is nominated, vote a pro-life third party.
If there is a wild swing, a big factor is Fred Thompson entering the mix. Nevertheless, comparing Rasmussen’s poll numbers from when Thompson’s name was first included (3/26-29) with the latest poll numbers they are: Rudy went up from 26% to 30%, McCain went down from 16% to 14%, and Thompson stayed the same at 14%. So comparing apples with apples, Rudy is the only who has gone up. How do you explain that?
The point is we need to pick a candidate who is respected by the voters on his own merits, based on his own statements and actions, NOT based on public perception fomented by the media.
“Live by the media, die by the media”.
Don’t vote for the popular candidate, vote for the man or woman who best expresses what is right for america, the person who has a clear vision, the ability to communicate that vision, who is right on the issues and will lead american forward to where we need to be.
Then pray that the American people will recognize what is good for them, and vote likewise.
A much better strategy than voting for the popular wrong person and praying that the American people don’t wise up and realise how wrong they are.
Imagine you’ve picked Rudy as our nominee, and next October there is a great awakening and America realises that guns save lives and abortion is murder.
Oops.
I wasn’t talking about the “preference” part of the polls, I’m talking about McCain’s favorable rating plummeting, and the public perception of him as “conservative” shooting up, both of these among “likely primary republican voters” who would be “expected” to already know whether they liked McCain or not, and would already have “firm” opinions on whether he was liberal or conservative.
There would be little reason for Fred Thompson to change people’s views of McCain as conservative, or to make McCain less liked.
If McCain can have 10 points shaved off his favorable in a week, you don’t think Rudy can have the same thing happen to him?
And if Rudy’s the pick simply because he’s in front and well-liked, what happens when he’s no longer “well-liked”?
Who knows. Its too early to tell where the Romney votes will go to. Romney people are pretty much committed to their guy right now - But I’m sure FT will take alot of them.
Nope! I participate regularly.
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SAM BROWNBACK 
RUDY GIULIANI
CHUCK HAGEL 
MIKE HUCKABEE
DUNCAN HUNTER 
JOHN McCAIN 
RON PAUL 
MITT ROMNEY
TOM TANCREDO
FRED THOMPSON