Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and Arizona Senator John McCain are each seen as politically conservative by 43% of American voters. However, among Republican voters, Thompson is seen as politically conservative by 47% while just 31% believe that label applies to McCain.

The gap between perceptions of all voters and Republican voters is found only on questions about McCain. Thirty-five percent (35%) of all voters believe that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is politically conservative. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Republicans hold that view as well. That's down slightly from last month.

For Rudy Giuliani, 27% of all voters consider him politically conservative while 24% of Republicans say the same.

Thompson and Giuliani are essentially tied for the lead in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination. Romney and McCain are fighting for third place, each struggling to stay above single digits in the polls.

While 47% of Republican voters view Thompson as politically conservative, 27% say he’s either moderate or liberal. He is the only candidate that Republicans are more likely to see as conservative rather than moderate or liberal.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republican voters see Giuliani as either politically moderate or liberal. Fifty-six percent (56%) say the same about McCain and 39% hold that view of Romney.

At the beginning of the year, many commentators assumed that Giuliani could not win the GOP nomination because he was ideologically out-of-synch with Republican primary voters. While this survey confirms that he is viewed as being to the left of most Republican voters, Giuliani also remains very popular. Seventy-one percent (71%) of Republicans have a favorable opinion of America’s Mayor while just 23% have an unfavorable opinion.

Thompson is viewed favorably by 61% of Republicans and unfavorably by 17%. However, Thompson has a slight edge over Giuliani among those with strongly held opinions. Thirty-three percent (33%) have a Very Favorable opinion of Thompson while 28% say the same of Giuliani.

Romney is viewed favorably by 54% of Republicans and unfavorably by 31%.

McCain is viewed favorably by 52% of Republicans and unfavorably by 43%. That last number is especially devastating for anyone seeking to win the nomination of the Republican Party.

A separate survey recently found that a plurality of voters consider it a positive indication when a candidate is described as conservative. However, it is even more positive when a candidate is described as being like Ronald Reagan.

Data on the ideological perceptions of leading Democratic candidates has also been released today. Other key statistics and a summary of general election polling match-ups are provided for all Republican and Democratic candidates.