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Poll Gives GOP Candidates The Lead By DAVID LIGHTMAN Washington Bureau Chief May 3 2007, 8:14 AM EDT WASHINGTON -- Good news for Republicans: Their top presidential contenders beat the top Democrats in a 2008 White House matchup, according to a new nationwide Quinnipiac poll released this morning. The survey comes at a crucial time, just before GOP rivals square off tonight in their first nationally televised debate. And it was taken April 25 to May 1, at and after the time Democrats held their first debate April 26. For Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, the news continued to be dismal -- he polled 1 percent in the survey. When asked for a second choice, he was number two among only 1 percent of voters again. The Democratic leader remains New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, at 32 percent, down from 38 percent in Quinnipiac's February survey. Next this time is Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at 18 percent, undeclared candidate Al Gore at 14 percent and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards, 12 percent. Among Republicans, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads at 27 percent, followed by 19 percent for Arizona Sen. John McCain, 14 percent for former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, and 8 percent each for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the better news for the GOP is the party's strength against Democrats. Guiliani leads Obama by 3 points and bests Clinton by 9. McCain beats Clinton by 5 and ties Obama. Clinton's chief problem is her unfavorable rating -- a whopping 46 percent. Obama's unfavorable number is 18 percent, but he has a different challenge: About one-third of voters have not heard enough about him to form an opinion. The survey of 1,166 voters has a margin of error of 2.9 percent. Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant |