|
 While Republicans wrestle to pick a favorite among 16 candidates,
Democratic voters - facing a far smaller field - strongly favor the
former first lady and secretary of state, even when presented with a
fantasy list of notables, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll
of 1,033 Democrats.
Hillary Clinton remains head and shoulders above her legitimate
challengers and would thump Bill Clinton in a head-to-head contest
if the constitution were amended to allow him to run for a third
term.
But potential "first gentleman" and former President Bill is the
fantasy candidates who comes closest to his wife, at 26 percent
compared with Hillary’s 51 percent.
The online poll, which has a credibility interval of 3.5 percentage
points, looked at whether any Democrat - experienced politician or
not - could pose a threat to Clinton in the primary race.
Oscar-winning actor and liberal activist George Clooney? Just 10
percent would vote for him.
Liberal darling and retiring "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart? Sixteen
percent. Oprah? 11 percent.
Current First Lady Michelle Obama was second to Bill Clinton with 20
percent.
Former Democratic presidential nominees Al Gore and John Kerry were
in the 15 percent range. California Governor Jerry Brown and Julian
Castro, the U.S. secretary for housing and urban development and a
former San Antonio mayor, lingered in the 6 to 8 percentage range.
Brittany Tomes, a 21-year-old university student from Levittown,
Pennsylvania, said some characters in the poll's "dream team" were
unrealistic.
"They need experience of actually being in the government and
handling those issues to be trustworthy," Tomes said. "For the most
part, people who are in television don't really have that
background."
"SHRUG OF THE SHOULDERS"
When it comes to the actual Democratic primary race, Reuters/Ipsos'
polling shows Clinton attracting 51.5 percent of Democratic support
as of July 21 vs. 21.5 percent for Senator Bernie Sanders, her
nearest opponent.
[to top of second column] |
Thirty-nine percent of Democrats said they would "enthusiastically"
vote for Clinton, while another 21 percent said they would vote for
her because they think she would be most likely to win the
presidential race in November 2016. Twenty percent said they would
"definitely not" vote for her.
"This is a shrug of the shoulders," said Larry Sabato, director of
the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, saying the
less-than-full-throated enthusiasm reflects a "bubble-wrapped" and
overly staged campaign.
Forty percent of Democrats said Clinton is a "great" candidate for
president, while 39 percent described her as "adequate."
Beth Grimes, 62, of Piedmont, West Virginia, said Clinton is the
only Democratic candidate she has heard from so far.
"I may not even vote because Hillary is the only decent Democrat,"
Grimes said. "I don’t really like Hillary. She sways positions too
easily."
If Clinton wins the primary, Democrats are apt to become more
enthused about her candidacy once she is pitted against a
Republican, Sabato said.
"In this very polarized era, it's the opposition party that
generates more enthusiasm - the fact that you're not the other
nominee, you're not the other party," he said.
(For graphic on poll details, click on: http://reut.rs/1JydOW9)
(Additional reporting by Alex Wilts; Editing by Leslie Adler)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
