In an Election 2008 match-up of the early frontrunners, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads New York Senator Hillary Clinton 47% to 44%. Last month, the two New York politicians were tied 45% to 45%.

Clinton has consistently been competitive with Giuliani, but has typically trailed the Mayor by a few percentage points throughout the early polling on the race. A poll released earlier this week showed Giuliani has opened a double-digit lead over Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D). Clinton and Obama had been number one and two in the polls among those seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination.

The number three Democrat in the polls has consistently performed better than Clinton and Obama in general election match-ups. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards currently has a two-point advantage over Giuliani.

Another Republican hopeful, Arizona Senator John McCain, leads Clinton by six points-- behind Senator John McCain in the new survey. A month ago, McCain's lead over Clinton was four percentage points, 48% to 44%.

McCain has recently encountered significant turbulence in his campaign as championed an immigration bill that was far more popular in Congress than among the American people. Nationally, he is viewed favorably by 51% of voters.

That puts him in the same territory as Clinton. The former First Lady is viewed favorably by 47% of likely voters and unfavorably by 51%. Largely because she has been very prominent on the national scene for 15 years, Clinton remains a very polarizing figure. Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters say they would definitely vote against her if she is on the ballot in 2008.

Giuliani remains the most popular candidate in either party, viewed favorably by 63% of likely voters. However, his biggest challenge moving forward may be that he is seeking the nomination of a center-right political party and only 21% of Republicans view him as politically conservative.

Apparently in response to the bunched-up primary schedule this campaign season, Giuliani and McCain both recently announced that they would sit out the straw poll in Ames, Iowa this summer. But they report that they will still compete in the Iowa caucuses tentatively scheduled for January.

Rasmussen Reports continuously updates favorability ratings and general election match-ups for all Democratic and Republican candidates. Also available are continuously updated ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists.

A recent tracking survey found that voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on ten key issues including taxes and national security. Democrats continue to lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot but their lead is smaller than a month ago.

Rasmussen Reports releases updated polling data for the Democrats’ nominating contest are updated on Mondays. Republican results are updated every each Tuesday.