Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Italy Election 2008
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- 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
Obama Drops, Virtually Tied with McCain in U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are virtually even in the early stages of the United States presidential race, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the Illinois senator this year, while 46 per cent would back the Arizona senator.
Support for Obama fell by five points since early February, while backing for McCain increased by two points. In a separate match-up, McCain trails New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by two points.
Yesterday, Obama delivered a major speech on the topic of race, declaring, "We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle—as we did in the OJ trial—or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina, or as fodder for the nightly news. (...) We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies. We can do that. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change."
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
If (...) were the Democratic Party’s candidate and John McCain were the Republican Party’s candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for? (Leaners included)
McCain vs. Obama
|
Mar. 16 |
Feb. 3 |
Jan. 10 |
|
|
Barack Obama (D) |
47% |
52% |
49% |
|
John McCain (R) |
46% |
44% |
48% |
|
Neither |
5% |
3% |
3% |
|
Other |
1% |
1% |
-- |
|
Unsure |
1% |
1% |
-- |
McCain v. Rodham Clinton
|
Mar. 16 |
Feb. 3 |
Jan. 10 |
|
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) |
49% |
50% |
50% |
|
John McCain (R) |
47% |
47% |
48% |
|
Neither |
3% |
2% |
1% |
|
Other |
1% |
-- |
-- |
|
Unsure |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 950 registered American voters, conducted from Mar. 14 to Mar. 16, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.