2008 Democratic Presidential Primary

Clinton 38% Obama 26% Edwards 15%

Monday, March 12, 2007

The latest Rasmussen Reports national opinion survey of Likely Democratic Primary Voters highlights the stability of a campaign that has started well before most Americans want to think about it. Once again, New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) is on top, this week attracting 38% of the vote.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) is in second place with 26% of the vote, unchanged from a week ago. Obama and Clinton are essentially even among African-American voters. Clinton leads Obama by 15 percentage points among women and by 7 among men.

Former North Carolina Senator and 2004 Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards (D) remains in third place with 15% support. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is a very distant fourth, with just 3% of the vote.

Rasmussen Reports releases national polling data on the Democratic nomination process every Monday and on the Republican race each Tuesday. The current survey of 783 Likely Democratic Primary Voters was conducted March 5-8, 2007. The margin of sampling error is +/-4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Among the Democratic contenders, Obama draws the most favorable reviews from voters across the nation. He is seen favorably by 55% and unfavorably by 37%. Clinton is the best known and voters have strong opinions one way or the other about her. Overall, she is viewed favorably by 50% and unfavorably by 48%. Those figures include 22% with a Very Favorably opinion and 34% with a Very Unfavorable view.

Edwards’ earns favorable reviews from 49% while 43% hold the opposite view. Just 12% have a Very Favorable opinion; 18% Very Unfavorable.

Richardson is the least known among the top four—32% favorable and 27% unfavorable.

Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Richardson, and Biden all trail Republican frontrunner and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Clinton, Obama, and Edwards are essentially tied with Arizona Senator John McCain (R) while leading all other GOP hopefuls.

See our summary of favorability ratings and general election match-up results for all Democratic and Republican candidates.

Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

The Rasmussen Reports Election Edge™ Premium Service offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage available anywhere.

Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

This national telephone survey of 783 Likely Democratic Primary Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports March 5-8, 2007. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Election Polls 2008: Democratic Presidential Primary Contenders
Date	Clinton	Obama	Edwards
3/12	38%	26%	15%
3/05	34%	26%	15%
2/26	37%	26%	13%
2/19	28%	24%	11%
2/12	28%	23%	13%
2/05	34%	18%	10%
1/29	33%	19%	10%
1/22	31%	24%	12%
1/17	22%	21%	15%

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