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
McCain Leads Obama, Trails Hillary in U.S. Race
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Republican John McCain holds the upper hand in a United States presidential contest against Democrat Barack Obama, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the Arizona senator this year, while 44 per cent would back the Illinois senator.
Support for Obama fell by three points since early May, while backing for Obama fell by the same margin. In a separate match-up, McCain trails New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by four points.
On May 27, McCain discussed his views on the country’s nuclear capabilities, saying, "Today, we deploy thousands of nuclear warheads. It is my hope to move as rapidly as possible to a significantly smaller force. (...) A quarter of a century ago, President Ronald Reagan declared, ‘Our dream is to see the day when nuclear weapons will be banished from the face of the Earth.’ That is my dream, too."
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
Possible match-ups - 2008 U.S. presidential election
McCain v. Obama
|
May 26 |
May 8 |
Apr. 24 |
|
|
John McCain (R) |
47% |
44% |
45% |
|
Barack Obama (D) |
44% |
47% |
45% |
|
Other / Undecided |
9% |
9% |
10% |
McCain v. Rodham Clinton
|
May 26 |
May 8 |
Apr. 24 |
|
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) |
48% |
48% |
45% |
|
John McCain (R) |
44% |
43% |
47% |
|
Other / Undecided |
8% |
9% |
8% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,600 likely American voters, conducted from May 22 to May 26, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.