2008 Republican Presidential Primary: Giuliani 30% McCain 14% Thompson 14%
rasmussenreports.com
Tue May 1, 10:13 AM ET
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani remains on top in the race for the GOP nomination and now enjoys support from 30% of Likely Voters. That’s more than twice the total of any other candidate. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and Arizona Senator John McCain (news, bio, voting record) are tied for second at 14%.
Thompson has been in the 12% to 14% range for each of the five surveys since his name was floated as a possible candidate.
McCain, once considered the dominant frontrunner, has struggled in recent months. His support among Likely GOP Primary voters has fallen eight percentage points since January. His numbers now are strongest among independents likely to vote in a Republican Primary. In Election 2000, McCain did best in open primaries that allowed independents to vote. Then Governor Bush did best in Primary states where only Republicans could vote.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney remains the only other candidate in double digits. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich remains in fifth place with 8% support.
Giuliani is the most popular candidate in either party–62% now have a favorable opinion of him. McCain’s favorability ratings among all voters have also fallen to the lowest level yet measured–49%. Thompson and Romney are less well known, viewed favorably by 35% and 32% respectively. See updated favorability ratings and general election match-ups for all Republican and Democratic candidates.
Among all voters, 44% now see John McCain as politically conservative. That’s a significant increase from 26% in December. What’s truly unusual about perceptions of the Arizona Senator is how consistent they are across party lines. Forty-four percent (44%) of Republicans view him as politically conservative. That view is shared by 45% of Democrats and 43% of those not affiliated with either major party.
Giuliani is seen as politically moderate by 49% of all voters. Twenty-eight percent (28%) see him as politically conservative. By a 68% to 19% margin, Republicans see Giuliani as politically moderate. Democrats are more evenly divided. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of those in Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record)’s party see the Republican frontrunner as politically conservative while 36% say he’s politically moderate. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 47% see Giuliani as a moderate while 24% say conservative.
Thompson is less well known. Among all voters, 32% see the actor and former Senator as politically conservative. Twenty-five percent (25%) say he’s politically moderate while 6% say liberal. A plurality, 37%, don’t know enough to have an opinion. Among Republicans, 37% see Thompson as a conservative while 27% say moderate.
While Giuliani retains a sizable lead, the latest polling in the Democratic race shows that New York Senator Hillary Clinton has lost her lead to Illinois Senator Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).
Democrats currently have public support on their side for the most significant issue of the day– Iraq. Most Americans favor either bringing all troops home from Iraq immediately or establishing a firm timetable for their withdrawal. Most also oppose a Presidential veto of the Iraq funding bill passed by Congress to establish a timetable.
Rasmussen Reports releases updated polling data on the Republican nominating contest every Tuesday. Results for the Democrats are updated on Mondays. The current survey is based upon national telephone interviews with 602 Likely Republican Primary Voters conducted April 23-26, 2007. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Rasmussen Reports continuously updates favorability ratings and general election match-ups for all Democratic and Republican candidates. Also available are continuously updated ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
