The latest Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll shows Giuliani holding his national lead among Republican hopefuls, but McCain moving into second place as his comeback continues. From Fox News:
Giuliani's 16-point lead in the race for his party's nomination is essentially unchanged from last month -- what has changed is the positioning of the other candidates. The poll finds the former mayor garners the support of 33 percent of Republicans, followed by McCain at 17 percent re-capturing second place for the first time since this summer, and Fred Thompson now in third with 12 percent.Mitt Romney receives the backing of 8 percent, as does Mike Huckabee, even though the former governor of Arkansas is still virtually unknown to a lot Americans as well as many Republicans.
Read the rest at the link provided. Most encouraging for McCain - and perhaps helping to fuel his comeback - is the confirmation that he is currently the strongest candidate against Hillary Clinton, should she win the Democratic nod:
While John McCain trails front-runner Rudy Giuliani in the race for the Republican nomination, slightly more Americans see McCain as a straight-talker and as honest and trustworthy than Giuliani; furthermore, for the second month in row McCain performs better against leading Democrat Hillary Clinton in hypothetical matchups than any other top-tier Republican, according to a FOX News poll released Thursday.
The Republican nomination contest has, in effect, become a battle to be the "conservative alternative to Giuliani." National poll results still don't carry much weight - especially when of "registered voters" like this one - because most people are not yet focused on the race. Also, Romney's strategy eschews trying to run nationally at this point, concentrating on the earliest states - and he is leading or competitive in all those. Thompson's campaign continues to fail to live up to the hype, and he has put himself in a position where he must win South Carolina and Florida to remain in the race. This will be a daunting task if other candidates are getting the media spotlight for earlier wins.
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2008 Presidential Race, Polls, Primaries, Republican
Tags: poll, presidential campaign, primaries, Republicans
Comments (3)
As I commented yesterday, i... (Below threshold)1. Posted by COgirl | November 15, 2007 5:26 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
As I commented yesterday, it's imperative that Republicans keep our eye on the prize which is the White House. Giuliani and McCain are the only two in the race right now who can stop Hillary.
Romney won't win the nomination and if he did, he won't beat Hills. For all the money he's spent, he's got little to show for it.
Thompson's campaign has been a complete disaster in my opinion. He waited way too long to enter the race and by then the train had left the station. Plus he's not been energetic or forceful enough once he did jump in.
While there are candidates I might like better than Rudy or McCain, it's keeping the White House that matters the most. The alternative is far worse than either of those two.
1. Posted by COgirl | November 15, 2007 5:26 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 15, 2007 17:26
2. Posted by Brad Marston | November 16, 2007 8:23 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jim,
Your are absolutely right about the lack of focus on the race. I volunteer for McCain in NH and with the primary less than 60 days out the number of undecideds is amazing. However, as a friend of mine who lives in NH said recently "The majority of NH residents say they are undecided and some of them actually are."
Of course as more people are focusing on the race, we certainly like what we see.
2. Posted by Brad Marston | November 16, 2007 8:23 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 16, 2007 08:23
3. Posted by Glenn Koons | November 17, 2007 2:47 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
McCain's stance on Mc-Fein and on immigration I believe will undo his real chances. Plus his age. My guess is that Rudy and Mitt will battle till the end. I note the Club for Growth had a piercing article on the Huck's economic liberalism, as they called it. Not an encouraging sign there. If Mc had not played footsie with the Dems over the last 7 years and been ssoooooosoooo independent instead of conservative on many issues,perhaps he would garner the nomination. My guess is not.
3. Posted by Glenn Koons | November 17, 2007 2:47 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 17, 2007 14:47