Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton nominally leads Republican Senator John McCain 46% to 45% in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But, the Democratic frontrunner easily outpaces former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney 49% to 40%.

Romney's campaign is financially better off than McCain's. But the Arizona senator fares better in general-election match-ups. McCain and Clinton have been within a few percentage points of each other all year long—except in July, when Clinton was up by nine.

July was the month McCain's campaign seemed to crumble and suffered massive layoffs in the wake of the Senate debate on immigration. Since then, his fortunes have somewhat rebounded, both in the eyes of pundits and in the polls. This past week, for the first time in months, McCain moved a few points ahead of Romney in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

John McCain is now viewed favorably by 46% of all voters, and by 63% of Republicans. Only 30% of GOP voters now regard him unfavorably. A few months back as many as 45% of Republicans had taken a negative view. Still, most Republican voters view McCain as politically moderate.

Mitt Romney is now viewed favorably by 37%, unfavorably by 40%, with 23% unready to lean either way. Forty-two percent (42%) of Republicans say Romney is politically conservative while 39% say moderate or liberal.

Overall, in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination, Fred Thompson is seen as the most conservative candidate while Rudy Giuliani is seen as the most electable.

Hillary Clinton is viewed favorably by 49%, unfavorably by 50%. Those numbers have moved little throughout the year. In the Democratic nomination race, Clinton's lead is holding firm as she routinely draws support in the 40% range.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll of the frontrunners shows that Clinton is neck-and-neck with Giuliani, and enjoys a moderate lead over Thompson. See

In our state-level surveys, Clinton leads Republican hopefuls in a pair of states that Republicans have won in recent years—Arkansas and Virginia.

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