In the race for the presidency, Senator Hillary Clinton (D) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) are now tied 45% to 45%. That’s little changed from a month ago when Giuliani enjoyed a nominal edge, 48% to 47%.

The new national telephone survey also found Clinton leading Republican Senator John McCain by four percentage points, 48% to 44%. A month ago, Clinton was up by just a single point over McCain, 47% to 46%.

Giuliani and McCain have consistently been the top two candidates in the Republican Primary competition. Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama have been on top of the Democratic Primary field.

Giuliani remains the most personally popular candidate in either party, viewed favorably by 60% and unfavorably by 38%.

McCain’s numbers have fallen recently. The Arizona Senator is now viewed favorably by 49%, unfavorably by 43%. In December, 59% viewed him favorably.

Clinton has been a primary figure on the national political scene for 15 years. Everybody has an opinion about her and the opinions haven’t been fluctuating much. Currently, 50% view the former First Lady favorably and 49% have an unfavorable view.

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.

The poll of 800 Likely Voters was conducted April 30-May 1, a few days after the first nationally televised debate among Democratic presidential candidates. Although domestic concerns were broached, the war in Iraq dominated the discussion. Clinton once again defended her vote in 2002 giving President Bush the authority to go to war.

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