Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
No Clear Leader in Most 2008 U.S. Match-Ups
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The 2008 United States presidential election remains highly contested in the early stages, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates released by Newsweek. In six different head-to-head contests, no prospective Republican or Democratic candidate reaches the 50 per cent mark.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani holds a one-point lead over New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and a two-point edge over Illinois senator Barack Obama, but trails former North Carolina senator John Edwards by three points.
Arizona senator John McCain trails Rodham Clinton by one point, Obama by two points and Edwards by five points.
On Jan. 24, Giuliani discussed his foreign policy credentials, saying, "I've been on 91 foreign trips in the last five years. I've been in 35 different countries. Right before the (president's) speech on Iraq, I met with, maybe, ten or twelve people with differing viewpoints. People who wanted to pull out, generals who helped craft the strategy. So, you know, you try to learn as much as you can about these issues."
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
Now I'm going to describe some different choices of candidates voters might have in the 2008 election for president. As I read each one, please tell me how you would vote if the election for president were being held today.
Rudy Giuliani (R) 48% - 47% Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
Rudy Giuliani (R) 47% - 45% Barack Obama (D)
Rudy Giuliani (R) 45% - 48% John Edwards (D)
John McCain (R) 47% - 48% Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
John McCain (R) 44% - 46% Barack Obama (D)
John McCain (R) 43% - 48% John Edwards (D)
Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,003 American adults, conducted on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
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