January 23, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding on to the top spot in the national race for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the United States, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 42 per cent of respondents would support the New York senator.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding on to the top spot in the national race for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the United States, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 42 per cent of respondents would support the New York senator.

Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 33 per cent, followed by former North Carolina senator John Edwards with 17 per cent, and Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich with three per cent.

After the first four Democratic presidential caucuses and primaries have been held, Rodham Clinton has secured the support of 210 pledged delegates and super-delegates, followed by Obama with 123, Edwards with 52, and Kucinich with one.

Yesterday, Obama expressed dismay at a series of e-mails that falsely suggest he is a Muslim, declaring, "I think that those who are of the Muslim faith are deserving of respect and dignity, but to try and feed into this fear-mongering and try to question my faith commitments and my belief in Jesus Christ, I think is offensive. And I want to make sure that people are absolutely clear about what’s going on with this, and if they get another one of these e-mails that they’re deleting it and letting their friends know that it’s nonsense."

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 presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Polling Data

Please tell me which of the following people you would be most likely to support for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008.

	Jan. 17	Jan. 10	Dec. 2007
Hillary Rodham Clinton	42%	49%	40%
Barack Obama	33%	36%	30%
John Edwards	17%	12%	14%
Dennis Kucinich	3%	1%	2%
Mike Gravel	--	--	--
Joe Biden	n.a.	n.a.	4%
Bill Richardson	n.a.	n.a.	4%
Chris Dodd	n.a.	n.a.	2%
No opinion	4%	2%	4%

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 467 registered Democrats, conducted from Jan. 14 to Jan. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 5 per cent.