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CNN poll: Clinton, Sanders top Trump head-to-head, but not Rubio or Cruz
Hotair ^ | 03/01/2016 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 03/01/2016 7:59:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Caveats galore abound for this new CNN/ORC poll, released on Super Tuesday morning, but let’s tackle the data first. As other polls have shown, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both would beat Donald Trump if the general election was held today instead of fifteen primary contests. They would have a tougher time beating either Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, although those results end up in the margin of error:

Both of the remaining Democratic candidates for president easily top Republican front-runner Donald Trump in hypothetical general election match-ups,according to a new CNN/ORC Poll.

But Hillary Clinton, who is well ahead in the Democratic race for the presidency, would likely face a stronger challenge should Florida Sen. Marco Rubio or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz capture the Republican nomination for president.

In the scenario that appears most likely to emerge from the primary contests, Clinton tops Trump 52% to 44% among registered voters. That result has tilted in Clinton’s favor since the last CNN/ORC Poll on the match-up in January.

But when the former secretary of state faces off with either of the other two top Republicans, things are much tighter and roughly the same as they were in January. Clinton trails against Rubio, with 50% choosing the Florida senator compared to 47% for Clinton, identical to the results in January. Against Cruz, Clinton holds 48% to his 49%, a slight tightening from a 3-point race in January to a 1-point match-up now.

Caveat One: The general election won’t be held today. In fact, national polling at this stage is at best only a general guideline even in the primary contests, most useful for psychological impact on voters’ perspective on rational choices in the remaining primaries. The general election is still several months off, and in between there will be conventions, endorsements, unendorsements, news stories, oppo research, a pending criminal investigation and a pending civil fraud action, and even a World Series. Electability issues exist, of course, but to look at this poll as a definitive look at how a race will unfold in November is only slightly more reliable than rune-casting, as I’ve noted before.

Caveat Two: This poll uses a sample of 920 registered voters, not likely voters — so we’re not even sure they’re voting in primaries, let alone the general election. Some will respond by noting that it’s way too early to run a likely-voter screen on a question about November’s election, to which I’d respond: See Caveat One.

Caveat Three: Take a look at the responses on the issue questions in this poll. Trump leads most of them, and he leads the other Republican candidates on all of them. Most presidential elections are about the economy, and Trump leads Clinton by 13 points and Sanders by 21 on that issue. National security issues are a mixed bag; Trump edges Clinton 33/30 on terrorism, while Clinton leads Trump on foreign policy 37/21, with Sanders a distant third in both cases. On immigration, Trump leads Clinton 31/25 and Sanders by 15 points. It’s difficult to look at that and credit either Rubio (who comes in second among Republicans on all of these issues, including immigration) or Cruz with having a better chance of beating Hillary or Bernie in November, at least with the data in this poll.

Democrats aren’t buying this, either:

But there’s another group of Democrats warning that Trump’s unconventional approach — and the success it’s brought him in the GOP primary — means the rules underlying past elections are out the window this time. They’re concerned that Democratic leaders and strategists may be misreading the currents propelling Trump’s rise, and they’re cautioning against the notion that a Trump nomination would pre-ordain the next Democrat in the White House.

“It’s very possible that he could win. Anything is possible in this race,” said Licy DoCanto, head of The DoCanto Group, a public policy consulting firm.

Trump, DoCanto noted, has already defied the countless predictions from both sides of the aisle that his campaign would fade into the night.

“That’s continuing to puzzle those who stare and history and say, ‘This can’t be possible,’ ” said DoCanto, who served as an aide to former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).

My advice: Cast your primary/caucus ballot for the candidate you feel would make the best president, and let the head-to-head question wait for the convention. Consider these polls as mainly an entertaining way to look at the long picture, but with little connection to reality for now.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2016; cnn; poll; trumpwilllose
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To: Viennacon

I would never count out the Gimme Dat’s.


81 posted on 03/01/2016 10:18:32 AM PST by Qwackertoo (Worst 8 years ever, First Affirmative Action President, I hope those who did this to us SUFFER MOST!)
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To: SeekAndFind

LOL! Oh yeah right!


82 posted on 03/01/2016 10:19:06 AM PST by Enlightened1
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To: SeekAndFind
So I guess I don't get it. Trump beats Clinton on almost all of the substantive issues yet still loses the election? The logical question to then ask is, on what basis are the poll respondents making their choice? My guess is female parts, but the media will never admit that.

All of these polls, polls, polls. Well, no one has ever asked me to answer a poll. If they did, I'd tell them in no uncertain terms, I don't want more Washington insiders running things, and Hillary is about as much of an insider as you can get.

83 posted on 03/01/2016 10:19:09 AM PST by chimera
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah another putz like McCain or Romney is the answer.... NOT!


84 posted on 03/01/2016 10:20:08 AM PST by Enlightened1
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To: SeekAndFind

This is how unlikeable Trump is. This is how obviously full of crap that Trump is. Other than the sheep that blindly follow him, fact is most people see through him and don’t believe a thing he says. So much so they would take Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders over him.

All this talk of Trump turning blue states red and getting 50% of Hispanics and 25% of blacks, and 30% of Democrats is just that, talk.

What will happen is blue states will get bluer, purple states will go blue, a few red states will get pink, Hispanics, blacks and Democrats will rally around Hillary strongly. Then the big problem for Trump, many conservatives who see right though him, will just stay home on election day. Trump will lose in the same fashion McCain lost to 0bama.

We are making a very big mistake nominating this guy. But, it’s out of my hands.

May God have mercy on this nation.


85 posted on 03/01/2016 10:21:31 AM PST by Angels27
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To: SeekAndFind; All

Let me clue you in on something...

The Leftist in the media are NOT TRYING TO HELP YOU WIN.

So when they tell you they FEAR RUBIO or CRUZ... It’s total B.S.

Again CNN is NOT trying to help the Republicans win.


86 posted on 03/01/2016 10:22:29 AM PST by Enlightened1
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To: SeekAndFind
In the scenario that appears most likely to emerge from the primary contests, Clinton tops Trump 52% to 44% among registered voters

Registered voters? LOL!

Next...

87 posted on 03/01/2016 10:25:33 AM PST by sargon
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To: Canedawg

One of my very conservative SIL’s came up with that list, some borrowed and some research.

Her point is after Trump wins the nomination, he will destroy Clinton with her own deeds and words.

Please send it to friends and Clintoon supporters.


88 posted on 03/01/2016 10:49:46 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Voting to elect Trump as president is the only known cure for chronic TDS!)
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To: SeekAndFind
CNN poll: Clinton, Sanders top Trump head-to-head, but not Rubio or Cruz

PURE BULL$HIT.

This is a forecast that will give you pause because of the number of times it's been CORRECT since 1912.

The ONLY time this forecast, has been incorrect when applied, was ONCE, which was in 1960.

This is a PROFOUND PREDICTION

Political science professor forecasts Trump as general election winner
The Statesman  | February 23, 2016 | Christopher Cameron

A professor of political science at Stony Brook University has forecasted that Donald Trump has a minimum 97 percent chance of winning the general election as the Republican nominee.

Professor Helmut Norpoth's forecast presentation took place Monday evening in the SUNY Global Center in Manhattan, which was organized by the Stony Brook Alumni Association.

Norpoth created a statistical model of presidential elections that uses a candidate's performance in their party's primary and patterns in the electoral cycle as predictors of the presidential vote in the general election.

Donald Trump has a 97 percent chance of defeating Hillary Clinton and a 99 percent chance of defeating Bernie Sanders in the general election, according to Norpoth's formula.

"The bottom line is that the primary model, using also the cyclical movement, makes it almost certain that Donald Trump will be the next president," Norpoth said, "if he's a nominee of the [Republican] party."

Norpoth's primary model works for every presidential election since 1912, with the notable exception of the 1960 election. These results give the model an accuracy of 96.1 percent.

Complete story source:

https://www.sbstatesman.com/2016/02/23/political-science-professor-forecasts-trump-as-general-election-winner/

89 posted on 03/01/2016 10:51:17 AM PST by VideoDoctor
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To: jospehm20
Who believes that CNN wants the Republican to win this election anyways?

Not anyone with a functioning brain.

90 posted on 03/01/2016 10:51:39 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Voting to elect Trump as president is the only known cure for chronic TDS!)
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To: Pox

I really appreciate the thoughtful response. I agree with most of what you said, except that I don’t think there is a disinformation campaign targeting Trump in all of these polls. Too many different sources are saying the same thing.

I think at this point in time, Hillary beats Trump. That could change after the primaries are over, but it still remains to be seen.


91 posted on 03/01/2016 11:02:31 AM PST by txjeep
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To: SeekAndFind

The GOPe needs to read an GEED this!

DUMP TRUMP!!!!


92 posted on 03/01/2016 1:39:22 PM PST by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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