In a general election match-up, both Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney find themselves in a toss-up with Hillary Clinton. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone shows Giuliani with a statistically insignificant 45% to 44% advantage over Clinton. Romney enjoys the same margin, nominally leads Clinton 44% to 43%.

Both Republicans have a decided advantage with male voters. Clinton has the advantage with female voters (see crosstabs).

Clinton and Giuliani have been trading generally insignificant leads for months. In the last four polls, Clinton led twice, Giuliani led twice. Earlier in December, it was Clinton by three. Both candidates have been within four points of the 45% mark in nine consecutive surveys (see history of this match-up).

However, while Giuliani has been competitive with the Democratic frontrunner all year, the current poll represents the best performance yet for Romney. Clinton had held the lead over Romney in 11 out of 11 previous surveys. Earlier in December, he trailed the former First Lady by three percentage points(see history of this match-up).

Mayor Giuliani has expended relatively few resources on the earliest primary and caucus states and hopes to make a sweep of big states on Super Tuesday, coming up in February. He lags in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina—where Romney, Mike Huckabee and John McCain are drawing the most support.

In New Hampshire Romney attracts 31% support, McCain attracts 27%. In Iowa, Huckabee and Romney are virtually tied 28% to 27%; in South Carolina, they're exactly tied 23% to 23%. Huckabee has a very modest lead nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Hillary Clinton, currently viewed unfavorably by 54% of all voters, has generally enjoyed a stronger lead in the Democrats' nomination race than Giuliani has in the GOP race. But she finds herself in very competitive early state races-- Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina are all too close to call among the Democrats.

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