50% of Voters Believe Ayers Issue Has Hurt McCain Campaign
Just 28% of voters believe that John McCain’s campaign has been helped by talking about the relationship between Barack Obama and William Ayers.
2008 Presidential Election
Most Recent Releases
October 25, 2008
October 23, 2008
38% Fear Crisis Early in Obama’s Presidency
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of U.S. voters are very concerned that Barack Obama will be tested with an international crisis in his first six months as president, as his running mate Joseph Biden has predicted.
October 21, 2008
53% Say Candidates Should Name Cabinet Before Election
John Kerry the next secretary of State? Republican Senator Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon? Al Gore as Energy secretary? These names and others are in the air as media speculation runs wild on the bipartisan “star” Cabinet Barack Obama has in mind if elected president. But some of these names might cost Obama votes in the key states he needs on Election Day, so Cabinet announcements will come after the votes are cast.
October 20, 2008
45% Say ACORN Trying to Register Illegal Voters
Forty-five percent (45%) of voters say the liberal activist group ACORN is trying to register voters illegally, but they’re divided over whether Barack Obama has ties to the group, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
October 19, 2008
Democrats Favor Spreading Wealth Around, GOP Disagrees
John McCain now says it's socialism, but Barack Obama insists, "When you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
October 18, 2008
New Rasmussen Reports Partisan Weighting Targets: 39.7% Democrat 33.0% Republican
Like all polling firms, Rasmussen Reports weights its data to reflect the population at large. Among other targets, Rasmussen Reports weights data by political party affiliation using a dynamic weighting process
October 18, 2008
42% See Powell Endorsement of Obama As Possible
Will he or won’t he? Will moderate Republican Colin Powell, the first African-American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of State, endorse Democrat Barack Obama, the first black presidential candidate of a major U.S. political party?
October 17, 2008
47% Say Obama Won Final Debate, 33% Pick McCain as Winner
Barack Obama scored a hat trick in the presidential debates: A plurality of voters said he won all three, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
October 16, 2008
Obama Trusted More than McCain on Seven of 10 Electoral Issues
With less than three weeks left until the election, voters still trust Barack Obama more than John McCain on seven out of 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports.
October 16, 2008
55% Say Media More Biased This Year in Campaign Coverage
Fifty-five percent (55%) of U.S. voters say the media coverage of this year’s presidential campaign is more biased than in previous election years, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
October 15, 2008
Most Say Debates Were Boring But Are Still Watching
With the last of the presidential debates set for tonight, 60% of voters describe the first two debates as boring and are fairly evenly divided on whether the contests so far were informative or useless.
October 14, 2008
32% Say Election More Negative Than Most, 74% Say Media Focuses on the Negative
With Barack Obama’s campaign now crying foul at ads and comments from his Republican opponents, nearly one out of three voters (32%) say this year’s presidential race is more negative than most.
October 14, 2008
54% Pay Attention to Political Ads, 62% Rate Most Ads Negative
While Barack Obama spent $21 million on television advertising in the first week of October alone, just over half of U.S. voters (54%) say they pay at least somewhat close attention to political ads, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
October 13, 2008
Voters Think More of Biden Than Palin
Barack Obama’s running mate, longtime Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, is now viewed more favorably than Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, primarily because the latter just can’t close the deal with women.
October 11, 2008
New Rasmussen Reports Partisan Weighting Targets: 39.3% Democrat 33.0% Republican
Like all polling firms, Rasmussen Reports weights its data to reflect the population at large. Among other targets, Rasmussen Reports weights data by political party affiliation using a dynamic weighting process.
October 11, 2008
55% Expect Obama Victory, Only 15% Believe McCain Will Win
Fifty-five percent (55%) of voters now expect Barack Obama to win the election in November and become the 44th President of the United States. Just 15% expect a McCain victory while 27% say the race is too close to call.
October 9, 2008
Voters Say Obama Won Debate, McCain More Prepared To Be President
Voters say Barack Obama beat John McCain in Tuesday night’s presidential debate 45% to 28%, but they also think McCain is better prepared to be president than Obama by an 11-point margin.
October 8, 2008
76% Support Showing Photo ID Before Voting
Three out of four U.S. voters (76%) believe a person should be required to show photo identification at the polls before being allowed to vote, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 18% do not agree.
October 7, 2008
Most Voters Expect Brokaw to Be Neutral at Debate
Two-thirds (67%) of U.S. voters have a favorable opinion of Tom Brokaw, the moderator of tonight’s presidential debate, and nearly as many (62%) expect him to be neutral.
October 6, 2008
Most Americans Still Say U.S. Is Best Country in the World
Seventy-two percent (72%) of U.S. voters say the United States is the best nation in the world, despite the country’s economic woes and criticism of American foreign policy from abroad.
