Text 27571, 59 rader
Skriven 2007-03-01 20:21:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Rudy
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http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1594847,00.html

TIME Poll: Giuliani's Lead Widens

If Presidential campaigning were about something other than politics, 
how would the current crop of candidates fare? Take speed dating. Former 
New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is on wife no. 3, was judged most 
likely to be best at the new matchmaking technique — outdistancing 
Barack Obama by 3 points and New York Senator Hillary Clinton by 4, in a 
new TIME poll. Giuliani came in second when voters were asked to name 
which Presidential candidate they'd most like as a teammate on The 
Apprentice (5 points behind Hillary Clinton). But asked which candidate 
would be the best boss, they picked Giuliani again — at 18%, just ahead 
of both Obama and Clinton. 

Of such little things, perhaps, are Presidential nominees made. 
According to the new TIME poll, Giuliani now leads his closest rival for 
the Republican nomination, Senator John McCain of Arizona, by 14 points 
(38% to 24%) among registered Republicans and those who are leaning 
toward the G.O.P. In January, a TIME poll showed McCain ahead by 4 
points — a startling swing of 18 points. (For the entire results of the 
poll, go to www.srbi.com/time_poll.html.) 

The core of Giuliani's strength is in the Northeast, where he has a 50% 
to 23% advantage over McCain. But even in the West, he leads McCain by 5 
points. The poll, conducted for TIME by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas 
Public Affairs (SRBI), surveyed 1,144 registered voters by phone from 
Feb. 23 to 26. It has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points. 

Third among the Republicans in TIME's poll, with 12%, was former House 
Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was at 
7%. The rest of the Republican field polled in the very low single 
digits. If the G.O.P. field were limited to Giuliani, McCain and Romney, 
the former mayor would have a slightly more commanding lead, 49% to 
McCain?s 30%, with Romney at 12%. 

As for the Democrats, Clinton's lead has eroded since the last TIME 
poll. Obama has closed to within 12 points (36% to 24%), gaining seven 
points since January, a reflection perhaps of the dust-up over anti-
Clinton comments by Hollywood mogul David Geffen, who is now supporting 
Obama. The African-American component of the Democrats polled appears to 
be evenly split between the two senators. Former Vice President Al Gore, 
who has not declared his candidacy, was in third place, at 13%, while 
former North Carolina Senator John Edwards kept a firm hold of fourth 
place with 11%. 

Clinton's strongest regions were the Northeast, where she holds a 42%-
20% advantage over Obama; and the South, where she has a 42-19 lead. 
They are head-to-head in the West; and Obama leads Clinton in the 
Midwest, 31-28. In a three-way run-off among Clinton, Obama and Edwards, 
the former First Lady leads with 42% to Obama's 30% and Edwards' 22%. 

In a general election, the poll showed that a Clinton versus McCain 
contest would be a virtual dead heat, while she would lose to Giuliani 
by 3%. Obama, according to the poll, would beat McCain by 4 points; but 
would trail Giuliani by 5. 

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