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Hillary Leads, GOP Race Close in South Carolina
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - There is no clear presidential frontrunner for Republican Party supporters in South Carolina, according to a poll by American Research Group. 23 per cent of respondents in the Palmetto State would back Arizona senator John McCain in the 2008 United States primary, while 22 per cent would vote for former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson is third with 19 per cent. Support is lower for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, California congressman Duncan Hunter, Kansas senator Sam Brownback, former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore, Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo, and Texas congressman Ron Paul.
In the sample of Democratic Party supporters, New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is first with 37 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 22 per cent, and Illinois senator Barack Obama with 21 per cent. Support is lower for Delaware senator Joe Biden, Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich, Connecticut senator Chris Dodd, retired general Wesley Clark, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson.
The Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 29, 2008, after the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. The Republican contest in the Palmetto State will take place on Feb. 2, after Iowa and New Hampshire.
In 2004, Edwards won the Democratic South Carolina primary with 45 per cent of the vote, followed by Massachusetts senator John Kerry with 30 per cent, reverend Al Sharpton with 10 per cent, Clark with seven per cent, former Vermont governor Howard Dean with five per cent, and Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman with two per cent. Incumbent president George W. Bush won the Republican convention unopposed.
Bush is ineligible for a third term in office. The next U.S. presidential election is scheduled for November 2008.
Polling Data
If the 2008 Republican presidential caucus were being held today, for whom would you vote?
Jun. 2007 | May 2007 | Apr. 2007 | |
John McCain | 23% | 32% | 36% |
Rudy Giuliani | 22% | 23% | 23% |
Fred Thompson | 19% | 13% | 10% |
Mitt Romney | 8% | 10% | 6% |
Newt Gingrich | 6% | 6% | 6% |
Mike Huckabee | 3% | 1% | 2% |
Duncan Hunter | 2% | 1% | -- |
Sam Brownback | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Jim Gilmore | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Tom Tancredo | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Ron Paul | 1% | -- | -- |
Tommy Thompson | -- | 1% | 1% |
Chuck Hagel | -- | -- | 1% |
Undecided | 14% | 11% | 12% |
If the 2008 Democratic presidential caucus were being held today, for whom would you vote?
Jun. 2007 | May 2007 | Apr. 2007 | |
Hillary Rodham Clinton | 37% | 34% | 36% |
John Edwards | 22% | 30% | 18% |
Barack Obama | 21% | 18% | 24% |
Joe Biden | 3% | 2% | 3% |
Dennis Kucinich | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Chris Dodd | 2% | 1% | 1% |
Wesley Clark | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Bill Richardson | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Undecided | 11% | 11% | 13% |
Source: American Research Group
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina, and 600 likely Democratic primary voters in South Carolina, conducted from Jun. 26 to Jun. 30, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.