Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Germans, French Want Hillary as U.S. President

August 29, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in two European nations hold positive views on a prospective United States presidential nominee, according to a five-country poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 45.5 per cent of respondents in Germany, and 43.7 per cent of respondents in France, would like to see Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next American head of state.

Support for Rodham Clinton—currently serving her second term as New York's junior U.S. senator—stands at 38.9 per cent in Canada, 35.2 per cent in Italy, and 29.8 per cent in Britain.

Eight U.S. presidential hopefuls—four Democrats and four Republicans—were included as options. In Italy, 17.5 per cent of respondents would like Republican former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani to win the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In Canada, 13.4 per cent of respondents voice support for Democratic Illinois senator Barack Obama.

Two candidates who have run for president in the past—Democratic former North Carolina senator John Edwards and Republican Arizona senator John McCain—cannot reach the three per cent mark in any of the five countries. Support is also low for two GOP contenders—actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney—as well as Democratic New Mexico governor Bill Richardson.

Canada provided the lowest number of undecided respondents at 28.3 per cent, while almost half of Britons did not pick any of the eight candidates.

Earlier this month, Giuliani discussed his foreign policy views in an article published in Foreign Affairs magazine. The GOP politician said the war on terrorism represents "the dawn of a new era in global affairs", and vowed to focus on building "sound legal, institutional, and cultural foundations" in the Middle East, adding, "History demonstrates that democracy usually follows good governance, not the reverse."

On Aug. 22, Rodham Clinton called for the ouster of Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying, "The Iraqi government's failures have reinforced the widely held view that the Maliki government is non-functional and cannot produce a political settlement, because it is too beholden to religious and sectarian leaders."

Polling Data

As you may know, the United States will elect a new president in November 2008. Which of these candidates would you like to see elected as President of the United States? (Candidates listed alphabetically)

BRI

FRA

ITA

GER

CAN

John Edwards

1.5%

1.8%

2.6%

2.5%

2.5%

Rudy Giuliani

9.5%

2.7%

17.5%

2.1%

9.6%

John McCain

1.4%

1.1%

1.3%

1.2%

2.7%

Barack Obama

7.1%

4.7%

11.2%

8.6%

13.4%

Bill Richardson

0.6%

0.5%

0.7%

0.6%

0.4%

Hillary Rodham Clinton

29.8%

43.7%

35.2%

45.5%

38.9%

Mitt Romney

0.4%

0.1%

0.3%

0.2%

1.2%

Fred Thompson

0.4%

0.7%

0.6%

0.4%

2.8%

Not sure

49.3%

44.7%

30.6%

38.9%

28.3%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 5,075 adults in Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, conducted from Jul. 26 to Aug. 11, 2007. Margin of error for each country is 3.1 per cent.
Complete Poll (PDF)

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