Senator John Edwards (D) leads Senator John McCain (R) 47% to 40%. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey also shows that Edwards has a more intimidating margin over former Governor Mitt Romney (R), 52% to 35%.

A month ago, Edwards held a four point edge over McCain and an eleven point lead over Romney. Even before these latest results, Edwards was the strongest Democratic candidate in general election match-ups.

For all his downward drift in the GOP nomination race, McCain is still within hailing distance of Edwards and other leading Democratic opponents. In September, McCain trailed Clinton by just one percentage point and he lagged Obama by five points.

Romney is often much further behind leading Democratic candidates and is typically in third place among those seeking the Republican Presidential Nomination. The former Massachusetts governor is counting on a strong showing in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire—where he has advertised early and often—to jumpstart his campaign. However, his lead has been shrinking in New Hampshire and he trails in both Florida and South Carolina.

Romney and McCain are not the only GOP candidates trailing in general election match-ups. In the latter part of this year, leading Democrats have been gaining ground. In the latest round of surveys, Edwards, Clinton, and Obama all sweep the board and lead all Republican hopefuls (see a summary of match-ups and other key stats for all Republican and Democratic candidates).

Democrats lead by twelve on the Generic Congressional Ballot and a nearly five percentage point advantage in terms of party identification.

Nationally, Romney is still burdened by low recognition. He is viewed favorably by 41%, unfavorably by 42%, with 17% Not Sure of their opinion of him. McCain is now viewed favorably by 52%, a five-point jump since late September. Edwards is viewed favorably by 49%, unfavorably by 44%.

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