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Giuliani way out in front of rivals in latest US presidential poll
Sat Mar 3, 3:11 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has taken a wide lead over his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination but many voters remain unaware of his stand on key issues, a new poll showed Saturday.
Giuliani is favored by an impressive 59 percent of Republican voters over his main rival, Senator John McCain (news, bio, voting record), who trails with 34 percent support, according to the latest Newsweek poll.
Giuliani has surged ahead since a January 25 Newsweek poll, when he had a narrow lead of four points over McCain that was deemed a statistical tie.
When pitted against another Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 70 percent of Republican voters say they would choose Giuliani compared to 20 percent for Romney.
In more good news for Giuliani, who as New York's mayor won praise for his response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the poll showed 82 percent of registered Republicans say a candidate's marital history was not an important consideration for the 2008 presidential elections.
Giuliani has been married three times amid heavy scrutiny from the US media.
But 75 percent of Republican voters, and 74 percent of those who call themselves social conservatives, say the former mayor's marital history does not influence their decision whether to support him for the presidential nomination.
Most Republican voters, however, remain unfamiliar with Giuliani's more moderate positions on key social issues such as abortion, gun control and same-sex marriage.
Only 34 percent of Republican voters were aware Giuliani had a pro-choice stance on abortion rights -- a position opposed by the conservative activists that dominate the party.
Just 17 percent polled knew that Giuliani backed gun control measures, which are strongly opposed by the party and only 16 percent were aware that Giuliani opposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
The poll also showed Giuliani at a virtual tie when pitted against possible Democratic Party contenders including Senator
Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).
In a match-up with Clinton, Giuliani beats the former First Lady 47-to-46 percent, a statistical tie with a four-point margin of error. And in a choice between Giuliani and former Democratic Senator
John Edwards, Giuliani garners 47 percent compared to 45 percent for Edwards, also a virtual tie.
Against Senator Barack Obama, Giuliani leads with 48 percent to 43 percent for Obama.
The poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, was based on interviews with 1,202 adults between February 28 and March 1.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has taken a wide lead over his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination but many voters remain unaware of his stand on key issues, a new poll showed Saturday.
Giuliani is favored by an impressive 59 percent of Republican voters over his main rival, Senator John McCain (news, bio, voting record), who trails with 34 percent support, according to the latest Newsweek poll.
Giuliani has surged ahead since a January 25 Newsweek poll, when he had a narrow lead of four points over McCain that was deemed a statistical tie.
When pitted against another Republican candidate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 70 percent of Republican voters say they would choose Giuliani compared to 20 percent for Romney.
In more good news for Giuliani, who as New York's mayor won praise for his response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the poll showed 82 percent of registered Republicans say a candidate's marital history was not an important consideration for the 2008 presidential elections.
Giuliani has been married three times amid heavy scrutiny from the US media.
But 75 percent of Republican voters, and 74 percent of those who call themselves social conservatives, say the former mayor's marital history does not influence their decision whether to support him for the presidential nomination.
Most Republican voters, however, remain unfamiliar with Giuliani's more moderate positions on key social issues such as abortion, gun control and same-sex marriage.
Only 34 percent of Republican voters were aware Giuliani had a pro-choice stance on abortion rights -- a position opposed by the conservative activists that dominate the party.
Just 17 percent polled knew that Giuliani backed gun control measures, which are strongly opposed by the party and only 16 percent were aware that Giuliani opposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
The poll also showed Giuliani at a virtual tie when pitted against possible Democratic Party contenders including Senator
Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).
In a match-up with Clinton, Giuliani beats the former First Lady 47-to-46 percent, a statistical tie with a four-point margin of error. And in a choice between Giuliani and former Democratic Senator
John Edwards, Giuliani garners 47 percent compared to 45 percent for Edwards, also a virtual tie.
Against Senator Barack Obama, Giuliani leads with 48 percent to 43 percent for Obama.
The poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, was based on interviews with 1,202 adults between February 28 and March 1.
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