A must-read USA Today analysis of Americans' preferences in the 2008 presidential race finds some surprising sides to the appeal of the leading presidential contenders.
Key findings:
Rudy Giuliani "has forged a coalition that's unusual for a Republican and potentially potent in a general election. But it raises questions whether he can first survive the party's primaries and caucuses."
Sen. Hillary Clinton's support "is anchored in the Democratic base. But she shows limited appeal to the independents who decide close presidential elections."
One-third of Sen. John McCain's supporters "say the Iraq invasion was a mistake, the most of any Republican candidate, even though McCain has taken the lead in defending the war and supporting the rise in U.S. troop levels this year."
Sen. Barack Obama "gets one-fourth of his support from African-Americans... However, looking at black voters as a group, Clinton leads: 35% of blacks support Obama, while 41% support Clinton -- one of her strongest showings among any demographic group."
Mitt Romney, "who has faced questions about whether his Mormon faith would make it difficult for him to appeal to evangelical Christians, gets more than half of his support from those who attend religious services at least weekly. That's nearly 10 points higher than any other candidate in either party."
John Edwards "draws support from groups that Democrats often struggle to reach: men, whites, moderates and the well-to-do. One-third of his supporters make more than $75,000 a year, the highest percentage of any Democrat. Despite efforts to cultivate labor-union members and increasingly pointed opposition to the Iraq war, Edwards shows limited appeal to lower-income workers and liberals. He does no better among anti-war voters than the other Democrats."
June 12, 2007
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