(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton holds the upper hand in a United States presidential contest against Republican Ron Paul, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 48 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in next year’s ballot, while 38 per cent would back the Texas congressman.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton holds the upper hand in a United States presidential contest against Republican Ron Paul, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 48 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in next year’s ballot, while 38 per cent would back the Texas congressman.
Support for Rodham Clinton fell by one point since July, while backing for Paul increased by four points. In a separate contest, Illinois senator Barack Obama holds a 17-point advantage over Paul.
Paul officially announced his candidacy in March. In 1988, Paul ran for president as a Libertarian Party candidate, garnering 0.5 per cent of the vote.
On Oct. 19, Paul discussed his views on abortion, saying, "That should be our goal, to repeal Roe versus Wade. There is a couple ways that can be done. We can wait until we have our Supreme Court justices appointed; that’s taking a long time. My approach is a little bit more direct: accepting the principle that we can as a legislative body and the president (…) remove the jurisdiction of this issue from the federal courts."
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2004, Republican George W. Bush earned a second term after securing 286 electoral votes from 31 states. Democratic nominee John Kerry received 252 electoral votes from 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Bush is ineligible for a third term in office. The next presidential election is scheduled for November 2008.
Polling Data
Possible match-ups – 2008 U.S. presidential election
Paul v. Rodham Clinton
|
Oct. 2007 |
Jul. 2007 |
|
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) |
48% |
49% |
|
Ron Paul (R) |
38% |
34% |
Paul v. Obama
|
Oct. 2007 |
Jul. 2007 |
|
|
Barack Obama (D) |
50% |
50% |
|
Ron Paul (R) |
33% |
30% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,200 likely American voters, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
