Posted on 05/19/2008 9:05:06 PM PDT by TheEaglehasLanded
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.
A separate survey found slightly different results when third-party candidates were mentioned by name. In a four-way race, Obama earns 42% of the vote, McCain 38%, Bob Barr 6% and Ralph Nader 4%. Given those options, 11% were undecided. Barr and Nader were mentioned as candidates of the Libertarian Party and the Green Party respectively.
Barr picked up 7% of the Republican vote, 5% of the Democratic vote, and 5% of the unaffiliated vote. participants to choose between Barack Obama, John McCain and some other candidate.
Nader got 1% of the Republican vote, 3% of the Democratic vote, and 8% support from those not affiliated with either major party.
Rasmussen Reports does not typically include the names of minor third party candidates because early polls tend to dramatically overstate their ultimate level of support. However, it is occasionally useful to review the possibilities and explore what impact these candidates might have on determining the next resident of the White House.
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of voters believe it is somewhat or very likely that a third party candidate will be elected President in the next twenty-five years or so. That includes 10% who consider a third-party President Very Likely.
Most voters—52%--say it is not likely that a third party President will be elected.
The survey also considered a match-up with Senator Hillary Clinton running as an Independent candidate. In that match-up, it’s McCain 32%, Obama 31%, Clinton 22%, Barr 3%, and Nader 3%. In that match-up, Obama wins 50% of the vote from Democrats while Clinton gets 35% and McCain 7%.
It is highly unlikely that Clinton would consider running as a third party candidate. However, a recent survey found that 29% of Democrats would like her to do so if she is not the Democratic Party nominee.
Most voters don’t know enough about Barr to have an opinion of him. Twenty-five percent (25%) have a favorable opinion of Nader while 54% have an unfavorable.
See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs are available for Premium Members only.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
The Rasmussen Reports ElectionEdge™ Premium Service for Election 2008 offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a Presidential election.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
The Libertarian Party convention is this week in Denver and we will see if they do what the Constitution Party did and choose a long time party activist like Chuck Baldwin has been in the Constitution Party.
Bob Barr is a little different from Alan Keyes considering Alan has ran for President 3 different times and for Senate 3 different times in 2 different states.
Barr as far as I know successfully won every time he ran for Congress except when he was redistricted out of his district in Georgia and had to run against John Lindner in the primary in 2002.
Libertarian Party will hold its biennial National Convention this week in Denver, where it will select its presidential nominee for the 2008 election. The convention will be held May 22 through 26.
http://www.lp.org/libertydecides/
The show 4 candidates as meeting criteria and Bob Barr was number 1, he has raised $18,095 for LP and $108,266 as his own campaign.
Liberty Decides ‘08 is a new program to promote our pre-nomination presidential candidates as they engage in a competitive process. To participate in the program, candidates must cross three thresholds: meet the LP bylaws requirements; file with the FEC; and raise at least $5,000 for the LP or LP state parties for ballot access.
Listed below are the candidates participating in the program who have met the three thresholds followed by those candidates who have at least filed with the FEC.
To help out your favorite candidate by making a donation to the LP on their behalf, click on their picture below or on the donate link and help increase their rankings through this program!
For more information about this program, click here. Regular updates will be made to this page so please check back often!
CQ = Constitutionally qualified, FEC = Filed with the FEC, RMF = Raised Minimum Funds — Last Updated: 5/15/2008 6:20 pm CST.
Return to LP.org >>
Libertarian Party Presidential Candidates - QUALIFIED for LD ‘08 (in ranked order by funds raised)
1st Place
Bob Barr
(Candidate’s site)
CQ, FEC, RMf
LD ‘08 Total: $18,095
(Click Here to Donate!)
2nd Place
Wayne Allyn Root
(Candidate’s site)
CQ, FEC, RMF
LD ‘08 Total: $15,814
(Click Here to Donate!)
3rd Place
Daniel Imperato
(Candidate’s site)
CQ, FEC, RMF
LD ‘08 Total: $10,474
(Click Here to Donate!)
4th Place
Michael Jingozian
(Candidate’s site)
CQ, FEC, RMF
LD ‘08 Total: $8,490
(Click Here to Donate!)
Libertarian Party Presidential Candidates - Not Yet Qualified for LD ‘08 (in order by funds raised))
That’s the trouble with polls. People give you the answer they want you to have.
And I'm very libertarian inclined.
“dang it people you guys keep on posting about Bob bar running as a libertarian I HAVE NOT SEEN ON THEIR SITE WHERE THEY NAME HIM THE CANDIDATE.”
Well, he’s certainly been on enough TV (glenn beck, cnn, hannity, etc.) since he first announced it himself.
Just disgusting!
Bob Barr is better known than Harry Browne or Aaron Russo to conservatives that are tired of MCCLAME, Dole 2.
man, that sucks I was going to vote LP I like Wayne. Pisses me off Barr shows up at the last minute and they bend over for him. I didnt think they were sheeple
My write in choice is Janice Rogers Brown right now, so I doubt I, or those like me, show in these polls.
Rasmussen is usually pretty accurate, but it’s tough to get accurate numbers on single digit 3rd party candidates.
My offer stands.
And I voted for Ed Clark.
I wouldn’t say Barr would defeat Wayne Allyn Root because Wayne has done alot of media and I think he can self finance his campaign since he is a millionaire. Plus he is not jumping in 2 weeks before the Convention, but he has never held elective office as Bob Barr.
The conservatives who will sit home or vote 3rd party better snap out of it. Barack Obama is emerging as a frighteningly radical and inexperienced candidate. We are looking at a far left Supreme Court for 30 years and a possible national security nightmare.
As things stand right now, I would be open to voting for Barr for president. I see no promise at all in the democrats(as usual for me), and at the same time, I see little merit in supporting the republican candidate to counter them, which is what I’ve always done in my brief two times of voting for a president. I voted for Bush in opposition to Gore, and I voted for Bush in opposition to Kerry.
Bush has been a disaster.
I’m out of the business of voting for people because I don’t like their opponents...
The Democratic and Republican parties don't nominate their candidates before the convention, either. If Barr is the only nationally-known figure running, that's good enough for a hypothetical poll.
You made an extremely prescient prediction as to how W would react to 9/11, the next day, and since then you have my attention when you post. Aside from that, I suspect you.
Please do not fear Liberalism. Fight it and answer it with true Conservative solutions and ideas.
.6% he will almost definately get with John McCain fatigue. Heck, I think even Harry Brown got around .5% and he was a no name and Bush/Republicans had good approval ratings at the time. 6% though — almost no way that happens. I’d say 2-3% is about as high as possible for the LP candidate.
Well then maybe if you have any pull with that pack of lib lovin rat lite republicans see if you can get them to lose mcnutts out on a stroll and we’ll talk.Conservatives dont vote for liberals as you will see.
Hear,hear.
Given the unhappiness with the three leading contenders, a good third party candidate might stand a chance. Oprah or Michael Jordan would actually get a lot of votes, just based on their name recognition. Unfortunately, they’re probably as qualified as the actual candidates.
If McCain wants the support of conservatives, now and through November, then he needs to do what every politician seeking the support of any given voting bloc routinely does, and meet their specifically vocalized needs to such an extent as to earn said support.
As the recent outpouring of raw, naked outrage on the NRCC web site makes both manifest and plain: insofar as the voting conservative base is concerned, he demonstrably has not done so.
Responsibility for the adamant rejection of John McCain by the conservative voting bloc, therefore, rests ultimately with the unsatisfactory candidate, and he alone.
It does no good whatsoever to hop up and down like so many amphetamined spider monkeys, agitatedly shrilling "OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMAOBAMAOBAMA!!!," as Barack Obama is not running as the Republican candidate for the presidency this year; McCain is. He either closes the deal himself, based on his ability to persuade conservatives what he himself has to offer them (if anything)... or: he does not.
It seems to me any Barr voters would never have gone for McCain anyway. However, Nadar and Obama may be fishing from the same pond. Sure Obama will get almost all these fish, but most of the one’s Nadar gets probably would have gone for Obama.
It truly will be even worse than what you have just said when, sometime after January ‘09, it’s included that the Fairness Doctrine is also eventually fully implemented and illegal immigrants are also eventually legally allowed to vote in all future U.S. elections.
Awesome video:
The same kind of terrorists who support Obama did this:
http://www.frugalsites.net/911/attack/
Never apologize for them.
Never appease them.
Never forget.
1980: Ed Clark and David Koch 921,299 popular votes (1.1%)
Bob Barr is no Ed Clark. I don't think the LP has even been getting on all state ballots lately.
Didn't their candidate manage to get arrested in 2004?
Glad to hear this. I intend to vote for Barr.
I will too as of now. But he has to get the Libertarian nod.
I will too as of now. But he has to get the Libertarian nod.
Ha! You Losertarians are a bunch of pot-smoking hippies! You'll never get beyond .00001% of the vote!
AFTER THE ELECTION
"Waaa! You Loserdopians caused our RINO to lose!"
How about putting some money down? If Barr wins the LP nomination, I’l wager that he he will win more than .6 percent. Will you take the bet?
Here's the rules:
IF Bob Barr is a candidate for POTUS, I've got $20 that says his total popular vote is less than or equal to 0.6% of the total number of votes cast, as determined by popular vote totals posted on either CNN.com or Foxnews.com 48 hours after the polls close.
Deal?
I refuse to believe Barr could get that much of the vote. I consider Ron Paul a much better candidate than Barr and I doubt seriously if Paul could get 6 per cent if things went as well as they could for him.
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