Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- New Zealand Election 2008
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Stem Cell Research
- Stephen Harper
- Terrorism
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Democrats
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Republicans
- U.S. Election 2008: The Primaries
- Vladimir Putin
- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Democrats 2008: Hillary 40%, Obama 32%
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton remains the top contender in the race for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the United States, according to a poll by Zogby International released by Reuters. 40 per cent of respondents would vote for the New York senator in a 2008 primary, up two points since November.
Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 32 per cent—up five points in a month—followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 13 per cent. Support is lower for New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, Delaware senator Joe Biden, Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich, Connecticut senator Chris Dodd, and former Alaska senator Mike Gravel.
Yesterday, Obama criticized the outside groups who fund political spots—sometimes described as 527s for a section of the U.S. tax code—saying, "Right now in Iowa you have candidates who are having millions of dollars spent on their behalf by other groups. These folks don’t have to disclose where they are getting money from. It’s completely the Wild West, these 527s and so forth. And that’s something that’s going to have to be controlled."
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
If the 2008 Democratic primary for president were being held today, and the candidates were (the following), for whom would you vote?
|
Dec. 2007 |
Nov. 2007 |
Oct. 2007 |
|
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton |
40% |
38% |
46% |
|
Barack Obama |
32% |
27% |
25% |
|
John Edwards |
13% |
13% |
9% |
|
Bill Richardson |
3% |
3% |
2% |
|
Joe Biden |
3% |
2% |
2% |
|
Dennis Kucinich |
2% |
2% |
3% |
|
Chris Dodd |
1% |
-- |
-- |
|
Mike Gravel |
1% |
-- |
-- |
|
Other |
1% |
2% |
1% |
|
Not sure |
4% |
14% |
12% |
Source: Zogby International / Reuters
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 436 likely Democratic voters, conducted from Dec. 12 to Dec. 14, 2007. Margin of error is 4.8 per cent.