Rasmussen Reports data shows that public perceptions of both Barack Obama and John McCain are shifting rapidly during Election 2008. That same data suggests perceptions will continue to change through Election Day.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of voters nationwide say John McCain’s call for a series of ten Town Hall debates is a good idea.
Just 17% of voters nationwide believe that most reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of election campaigns. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that four times as many—68%--believe most reporters try to help the candidate that they want to win.
The first full round of tracking poll interviews after Barack Obama clinched the Democratic Presidential Nomination found that 36% of voters nationwide say they are certain to vote for Obama in November and 34% are certain they will vote for McCain. That leaves a very significant 30% who are not certain to support either of the presumptive nominees.
Just 18% of voters believe that John McCain should reach across party lines and select Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as his Vice-Presidential running mate. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 42% say he should not offer the job to Lieberman while 40% are not sure.
As the general election campaign gets started, 41% of voters nationwide say that Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be President while 30% say John McCain is too old. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found that 6% of voters believe both statements are true while 24% say neither is accurate.
Fifty-one percent (51%) of Democrats polled in a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey think Barack Obama should pick Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate, even as the former first lady and her surrogates push for a so-called Democratic "dream ticket."
Nearly four out of five Americans (78%) polled since Barack Obama clinched enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee say they could vote for an African-American for president, but they think only 61%of their family, friends and co-workers are willing to do the same.
On Election Day 2004, with 9/11 still strong in the national memory and
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq ominipresent, 41% said national security
was the most important issue determining their vote. By contrast, 26% rated
economic issues as the number one factor.
Forty-five percent (45%) of likely voters agree with Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama that it's a good idea for the U.S. president to meet directly with the leader of Iran, but well over half (59%) think that talks should only take place after Iran stops developing nuclear weapons.
When it comes to the economy, 47% of voters trust John McCain more than Barack Obama. Obama is trusted more by 41%. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey also found that, when it comes to the War in Iraq, McCain is trusted more by 49% of voters. Obama is preferred by 37%. McCain has an even larger edge—53% to 31%--on the broader topic of National Security.
If John McCain is elected President, 63% of voters say it’s at least somewhat likely that he will reach across party lines and work effectively with both Republicans and Democrats.
As Barack Obama inches closer to formally wrapping up the Democratic Presidential Nomination, the number of Democrats who want Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race has declined.
When it comes to how they will vote in November, Republican voters say that the type of Supreme Court Justices a candidate would appoint is more important than the War in Iraq.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Jersey shows Senator Frank Lautenberg has a large lead in the Garden State’s Democratic Senate Primary.
If John McCain is elected President, 49% of voters say it is at least somewhat likely that the United States will win the War in Iraq. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 20% believe victory in Iraq is likely if Barack Obama is elected in November.
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll has shown a very close race between John McCain and Barack Obama. For most of the past week, they have been essentially tied with typically 4% of voters saying they prefer some other candidate and a similar number remaining undecided.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Democratic voters nationwide now believe that Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for the White House.
May 9, 2008--Rasmussen Reports has been tracking the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination daily for nineteen months… since November 2006.
On May 20, voters in Kentucky will have their say in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. The first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of that race shows Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama by twenty-five percentage points, 56% to 31%.
