Posted on 01/29/2007 9:19:39 AM PST by meg88
Rasmussen Reports: McCain is Tanking by Jonathan Singer, Sun Jan 28, 2007 at 08:56:02 PM EST
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but John McCain is losing ground within the electorate -- and fast. Rasmussen Reports has the details from their polling of 800 likely voters on Monday and Tuesday (MoE +/- 4.0%) of this past week.
McCain is now viewed favorably by just 52% of American voters. That's down from 56% earlier this month and from 59% in December. His vocal advocacy of increased troop strength in Iraq may be having a negative impact on his popularity. Just one-third of voters (34%) share McCain's view while 56% want to go in the opposite direction and reduce the number of troops in Iraq. However, 94% think the troops will still be fighting in Iraq when the next President takes office.
This poll showed McCain leading Bill Richardson, who is unknown to a plurality of likely voters, but within the margin of error, 43 percent to 39 percent. Rasmussen polling from a week earlier also showed McCain having trouble with a number of Democratic candidates.
Senator John McCain (R), one of the most vocal advocates of sending more troops to Iraq, has lost ground in the Election 2008 sweepstakes. He now trails both John Edwards (D) and Barack Obama (D) in general election match-ups. Prior to this survey, McCain had been ahead of every Democratic challenger in every Rasmussen Reports poll (see summary of general election match-ups).
Obama leads McCain 47% to 44%. Edwards also holds a three-point lead, 46% to 43%. A month ago, McCain held a two-point edge over Obama and a five point lead over Edwards.
McCain's support has declined among unaffiliated voters. Obama now leads McCain by an 11-point margin among this important segment of the electorate. Edwards and McCain are essentially even among unaffiliated voters.
These numbers just go to show that the public is paying attention to McCain's cynical games on Iraq, first supporting an unpopular increase in American troops then trying to back away from that exact plan by claiming it is not sufficient. The more Americans learn about John McCain -- particularly now that the media is not giving him a free pass, as they largely did eight years ago -- the less they like him.
And given that between 85 percent and 95 percent of Americans know of John McCain and somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 percent of Americans know enough about him to rate him either positively or negatively, the fact that he can't crack 45 percent against most of the leading Democratic candidates for President should have people speaking dismissively of his "electability"
Ah, that's too bad.
Guess we'll have to run with a Conservative then.
I really dislike mccain a lot.
Rudy is ok, however his gun control garbage is scary.
I am not deeply saddened.
all these '08 polls are about 18 months too early to mean anything.
It is extremely early in the campaign and the Republican candidates seem to be dropping like flies. Brownback, Huckabee, McCain. Who is next, Rudy, Mitt, Duncan?
So is his support from the likes of NARAL.
So is his support of amnesty and of NYC's sanctuary policy - to the point of defying a federal court order against it.
So are some of his associates such as Bernie Kerik.
So is the fact that he endorsed Mario Cuomo for NY governor in 1994 over Pataki.
I imagine this list will only grow with each passing day.
Translation: Ever since he supported the troop surge, it's cool to hate McCain in press circles again. They are getting ready to throw all their support behind Rudy, just wait for it.
I think you may be correct there.
McCain's only real strength is with the press. Even that will be fleeting. If McCain got the nomination, the MSM would turn on him faster than a striking cobra. They'd break him so thoroughly he'd need to be on suicide watch. McCain is a marginally sane man who lives for the spotlight, a fact that those who direct the spotlights understand very clearly.
I think the press is going to throw in with Rudy this time.
He's tanking, but not because he's "supporting" the war. He's tanking because people increasingly know he's not trustworthy.
McCain is scum....he should "tank"
If this is legitimate, wouldn't it affect other GOP candidates who support the president on Iraq (e.g., Giuliani)?
Sure, right until the nomination. There's only going to be one media darling in 2008. The name will either be Obama or Clinton. Anyone else who get's build up before that will only be built up to be knocked back down, once the game starts in earnest.
No, that was Dukakis.
I noticed that the article doesn't show the match up between MccAin and the witch. Why is that? Is the tanking McCain still ahead of N.Y.'s junior senator?
I don't think Rudy has been out front talking about it yet right?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.