- Republican Rudy Giuliani holds the upper hand in a United States presidential contest against Democrat Evan Bayh, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 51 per cent of respondents would vote for the former New York City mayor, while 34 per cent would support the Indiana senator.

In a contest pitting Bayh against Arizona senator John McCain, the Republican holds a 20-point advantage.

Bayh—a Democrat—was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998. In November 2004, Bayh was re-elected with 62 per cent of the vote against Republican Marvin Scott.

The current senator's father also represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate. Evan Bayh served two terms as Indiana's governor, from 1989 to 1996.

On Dec. 5, Bayh referred to the situation in Iraq, saying, "(Defence secretary nominee Robert Gates) said that he understood that it was important for the Iraqis to make the hard decisions themselves. Without that, there was no military answer to this. We can't solve this for them."

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

Rudy Giuliani (R) 51% - 34% Evan Bayh (D)
John McCain (R) 52% - 32% Evan Bayh (D)

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