(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Democrat Joe Biden trails two prospective Republican presidential nominees in the United States, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 54 per cent of respondents would vote for former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2008, while 35 per cent would support the Delaware senator.

In a contest pitting Biden against Arizona senator John McCain, the Republican holds a 12-point advantage.

Biden was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. In the 2002 ballot, he defeated Republican Raymond Clatworthy with 58 per cent of the vote. Biden is the current chairman of the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee, a post he held from June 2001 to January 2003. The Delaware senator is expected to form a presidential exploratory committee in the next few weeks.

On Jan. 10, Biden discussed U.S. president George W. Bush's address to the nation to explain the new strategy in Iraq, saying, "I listened carefully to the president tonight. Sending more American troops to the epicentre of a vicious civil war is not the answer. Escalation won't solve the problem—it will compound it."

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) 54% - 35% Joe Biden (D)
John McCain (R) 48% - 36% Joe Biden (D)

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