Legal Commentary

CBS/NY Times Poll on Issues, Hillary, Obama and McCain

By Jeralyn

There's probably something to like for everyone in this wide-ranging CBS/New York Times poll of all registered voters (not just Dems). (Full poll results here. (pdf.)

What stood out to me:

• Those polled who either voted or will vote in Democratic primaries prefer Obama to Hillary, 46% to 43%, a statistical tie. But, Obama fell from 54% in Februrary to 46% in March and April while Hillary rose from 38% to 43%.

• Obama does better than Hillary with Republicans. His support among Independents and Democrats is down a bit, but it's up among Republicans.

• Hillary leads Obama in who will do better with the economy and health care.

• Hillary and Obama both best McCain, with Hillary one point better than Obama. Whiile more people think Obama will win the nomination, they both beat McCain and are essentially tied here. [More...]

Both Obama and Clinton outperform McCain “if the election were being held today,” and by the same amount. If Obama wins the Democratic nomination, he currently would lead Republican nominee John McCain in a nationwide matchup, 47% to 42%, a difference unchanged from two weeks ago. If Hillary Clinton rallies to win the nomination, she fares equally well against McCain, leading 48% to 43% in this poll.

• People like Obama a lot, but it doesn't translate into a vote for him.

What do you take from the poll?

Update: The New York Times take on the poll:

Senator Barack Obama’s support among Democrats nationally has softened over the last month — particularly among men and upper-income voters — as voters have taken a slightly less positive view of him than they did after his burst of victories in February, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The survey suggests that Mr. Obama, the Illinois Democrat, may have been at something of a peak in February, propelled by a string of primary and caucus victories over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and that perceptions of him are settling down.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 04, 2008 (boomark / email).