(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Hillary Rodham Clinton is still the frontrunner in the race for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the United States, according to the George Washington University Battleground 2008 poll conducted by Lake Snell Perry and Associates and The Tarrance Group. 47 per cent of respondents would back the New York senator in a 2008 primary.

Illinois senator Barack Obama is second with 23 per cent, 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, and Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Yesterday, Edwards discussed his chances, saying, "Having been through this before, I know what you have to do, I know what you have to do to close and what Iowa caucus-goers are looking for. They’re not looking for academic, they’re not looking for analytical, they’re looking for somebody who speaks from right here, from their gut, and who believes deeply and passionately in what they’re talking about."

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 Democratic primary election for president was held today and you had to make a choice from this list of candidates, for whom would you vote... (Democratic respondents only)

Source: George Washington University Battleground 2008 / Lake Snell Perry and Associates / The Tarrance Group
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 likely American voters, conducted from Dec. 9 to Dec. 12, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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