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 Leads McCain, Huckabee in U.S. Race
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Democrat Barack Obama is the most popular presidential contender in the United States, according to a poll by Zogby Interactive. At least 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the Illinois senator in head-to-head contests against two Republican candidates.
Obama holds an 11-point lead over Arizona senator John McCain, and a 15-point advantage over former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. In separate contests, New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton leads Huckabee by three points, and trails McCain by five points.
On Feb. 17, McCain referred to the Democratic candidates, saying, "I can out-campaign them, and I can out-debate them, and I can out-perform them. (...) We’ve got to reunite the party, and we’ve got to re-energize the party. And I’m prepared to do that. We’ve got plenty of time. But I won’t waste a day."
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
|
Feb. 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
|
Barack Obama (D) |
47% |
45% |
|
John McCain (R) |
36% |
38% |
|
Someone else / Not sure |
17% |
17% |
Huckabee v. Obama
|
Feb. 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
|
Barack Obama (D) |
49% |
46% |
|
Mike Huckabee (R) |
34% |
40% |
|
Someone else / Not sure |
17% |
14% |
McCain v. Rodham Clinton
|
Feb. 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
|
John McCain (R) |
42% |
42% |
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) |
37% |
38% |
|
Someone else / Not sure |
21% |
20% |
Huckabee v. Rodham Clinton
|
Feb. 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) |
40% |
39% |
|
Mike Huckabee (R) |
37% |
44% |
|
Someone else / Not sure |
22% |
17% |
Source: Zogby Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 7,468 American adults, conducted from Feb. 8 to Feb. 11, 2007. Margin of error is 1.2 per cent.