Voters favor McCain over Clinton in '08
But the Republican faces hurdles within his own party. Overall, those surveyed in a Times/Bloomberg poll say they want a Democrat in the White House.
By Janet Hook
Times Staff Writer
December 14, 2006
WASHINGTON — Democrats have an overwhelmingly favorable view of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, but she would be soundly beaten if she ran for president against Republican Sen. John McCain now, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
Underscoring the New York Democrat's potential vulnerability, the poll also found that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican little known to most voters, would give Clinton a run for her money.
Given a choice between McCain and Clinton, half of those surveyed said they would vote for the Arizona Republican, compared with 36% for the former first lady. In a matchup with Romney, the poll indicated Clinton would win by just 6 percentage points, 42% to 36%.
Those findings lend credence to some Democrats' fear that despite Clinton's strength within the party, she is too polarizing a figure to win the White House.
The poll reinforces the view that McCain, although mistrusted by some in the GOP and expected to face a spirited fight if he seeks the nomination, would be a strong general election candidate because of his appeal to independent voters. Half of the independents surveyed said they would back McCain; 32% supported Clinton, with the rest undecided or naming someone else.
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Possible matchups
When asked whom they would favor in the following matchups if the election for president were held today, registered voters made these choices:
McCain (R): 50% vs. Clinton (D): 36%
Clinton (D): 42% vs. Romney (R):36%
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Asked which party they would favor if the election were held today, registered voters picked the Democratic Party by 8 points:
Democrats: 49% vs. Republicans: 41%
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-prezpoll14dec14,0,4176083.story?coll=la-home-headlinesFULL POLL PDF -
http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2006-12/26874703.pdf