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Hillary First, Gore Second for U.S. Democrats
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Hillary Rodham Clinton remains the favourite prospective presidential nominee for Democratic Party backers in the United States, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 43 per cent of respondents say they would vote for the New York senator in a primary ballot.
Former vice-president Al Gore is second on the list with 12 per cent, followed by 2004 vice-presidential candidate and former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 11 per cent, and current Massachusetts senator and 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry with 10 per cent.
Support is lower for Delaware senator Joseph Biden, retired general Wesley Clark, Virginia governor Mark Warner, and Indiana senator Evan Bayh.
Rodham Clinton—a former first lady—was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, defeating Republican Rick Lazio by 12 percentage points. She ruled out a presidential bid in 2004.
On Mar. 20, Gore appeared to rule out running for president in 2008, declaring, "I'm not planning to be a candidate again. I haven't reached a stage in my life where I'm willing to say I will never consider something like this. But I'm not saying that to be coy; I'm just saying that to be honest—that I haven't reached that point."
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. 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
If the 2008 Democratic presidential primary were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were:
Mar. 2006 | Sept. 2005 | Jun. 2005 | |
Hillary Rodham Clinton | 43% | 42% | 44% |
Al Gore | 12% | 11% | -- |
John Edwards | 11% | 14% | 13% |
John Kerry | 10% | 14% | 17% |
Joseph Biden | 4% | 5% | 6% |
Wesley Clark | 4% | 1% | 2% |
Mark Warner | 3% | 1% | 1% |
Evan Bayh | 2% | n.a. | 1% |
Other | -- | 3% | 2% |
Not sure | 10% | 8% | 13% |
Would not vote | 1% | 2% | 1% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 900 registered American voters, conducted on Mar. 14 and Mar. 15, 2005. Margin of error for the sample of registered Democratic voters is 5 per cent.