Monday, August 13, 2007
A week ago, the Rasmussen Reports update on the Democratic race was titled “Clinton Rising, Obama Falling.” We noted that Clinton had been steadily gaining ground month in and month out and had seen her support grow to 44% of Likely Democratic Primary Voters. We also noted how support for Barack Obama had fallen for the first time in months.
This week’s numbers show the Clinton tide receding just a bit and Obama recovering some lost ground (review week-by-week numbers). Perhaps that was caused by Clinton’s defense of lobbyists, a defense that was definitely at odds with public opinion. However, a look at the bigger picture shows a return to the status quo and perhaps a solidifying of Clinton’s lead rather than a retrenchment.
The former First Lady’s support is at or above the 40% level for the third straight week. Obama, even with his improvement, is merely back to the mid-20s level of support he has enjoyed for several months. John Edwards is still a very distant third place, hovering consistently in the low-to-mid teens. Rasmussen Reports continues to see Hillary Clinton as the default candidate of the Democratic Party. It is likely that she will win the nomination unless something dramatically shakes up the race.
The greatest potential for shaking up the race will come in the early caucuses and primaries. If Clinton does poorly in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, other candidates will have an opening. But, to use a boxing comparison, she will retain the title unless there is a knock-out punch thrown in one or more of the early states. Rasmussen Reports will be releasing new polling data for the New Hampshire Presidential Primary later this week.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/2008_democratic_presidential_primaryHere's a link to the daily tracking poll for you junkie out there
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_2008__1/daily_presidential_tracking_polling_history