If McCain vs. Obama, 28% of Clinton Backers Go for McCain

[Craftsman]

PRINCETON, NJ -- A sizable proportion of Democrats would vote for John McCain next November if he is matched against the candidate they do not support for the Democratic nomination. This is particularly true for Hillary Clinton supporters, more than a quarter of whom currently say they would vote for McCain if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee.



These conclusions are based on an analysis of Democratic voters' responses to separate voting questions in March 7-22 Gallup Poll Daily election tracking. In each day's survey, respondents are asked for their general election preferences in McCain-Clinton and McCain-Obama pairings. Democratic voters are then asked whom they support for their party's nomination.

The accompanying graph displays the results of the relationship between support for the Democratic Party's nomination and the general election vote between Obama and McCain.


http://www.gallup.com/poll/105691/McCain-vs-Obama-28-Clinton-Backers-McCain.aspx

[underpants]

1. Gallup Poll: Many Democrats Ready to Vote McCain if Their First Choice Doesn’t Make It to November

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/26/gallup-poll-shows-many-democratic-voters-ready-to-vote-mccain-if-their-first-choice-doesnt-make-it-to-november/

Many Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters are ready to spurn the Democratic party and vote for John McCain in November if their candidate doesn’t win the presidential nomination, according to a new poll out Wednesday.

Among people who identified themselves as Hillary Clinton supporters, 28 percent said they would vote for McCain if Obama is his opponent, the March 7-22 Gallup Poll Daily election tracking survey found.

The same poll found that 19 percent of Obama supporters would switch sides and cast ballots for McCain if Clinton is the Democratic candidate.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. They Should Have Discovered What % Won't Vote At All?

The research indicates that a lot of undecideds end up not voting...

[julialnyc]

2. March isn't anything like November will be.... this is just sensationalism

and trying to effect polls

[Craftsman]

6. I will not vote for McInsane, but I will not vote for the Bigot Obama either

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. I'm Not A Fan Of Obama But Calling Him A Bigot Is Harsh And Over The Top

I think we all have our own little prejudices with some being more benign than others...

I don't think any of us are without prejudices even against memebers of our own race, religion, ethnic group, et cetera...

[Hamlette]

43. why do you think he is a bigot?

[GihrenZabi]

45. Ignorant

Calling Obama a bigot is colossal stupidity and media whoring.

Thanks for identifying yourself so clearly as someone to go on the ignore list. :)

[wowimthere]

46. yeah... I'm sure you've never heard a friend make bigoted comments either

As you judge a pastor, you should take a run down that memory lane of your own life. You may be shocked to realize that you have heard bigoted comments from the very people you associate with right now.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Which means we should settle on a nominee ASAP

[Craftsman]

8. It means we need to dump both of these losers

and get a compromise candidate

[BeyondGeography]

11. Not happening

[Craftsman]

13. Then get used to the sad sound of President McCain

[RiverStone]

20. WTF?

Why are you posting on a Democratic site if your gonna diss both our candidates?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. He Should Be A Good Democrat And Only Diss One Of Them

What a fucking mess...

[Craftsman]

27. Well we can at least agree on that.

This is FUBAR!!!!

[Craftsman]

26. Because both are unelectable and I do not want McInsane in the Oval office.

[RiverStone]

31. Wrong

Obama has the capacity to totally kick McBush's ass this fall - though you may not know it now with most of his fire power engaged in this now wasteful extension of a fight that he has already won on points.

Either Obama or Hillary will be our candidate. My point to you is if your not going to contribute to the cause, it is worth asking how does this post help the Dems in the GE. Saying they both will lose is already wimping out before the real battle as begun.

[Craftsman]

32. I am trying to stop the mistake a BHO nomination would be

He will turn off so many moderates it is not funny. Not all democrats are liberals.

[Upton]

5. They'll change their tune after the convention

either that or they were always leaning to the right anyway.

[Craftsman]

7. 2 points

Many will not I think

And if some are leaning to the right their vote still counts.

[havocmom]

12. We have a winner!

Spot on, Upton.

[napi21]

9. That doesn't make sense to me. First of all it's too early to make

a difinitive decision like that. You have to wait for the one-on-one campaigns for people to make their final decision. As an example, I really didn't like Kerry when he so quickly became the nominee 4 years ago, but I voted for him anyway because I didliked Shrub even more. Tensions & emotions are high right now, and any pollster is going to get some viceral, fight back responses to a question like that. Some sanity will creep into the campaign leter in the year.

[RDANGELO]

14. This has been a very contentious race.

I just don't believe that in the end that many Democrats are going to vote for McCain. Whichever side loses, their people will eventually get over it and support the other candidate.

[kevinmc]

15. Tells me 28% would vote for Bush on a third term........

and 28% are dumbasses.

[yardwork]

16. That leads me to conclude that 28% of Clinton's backers are Republicans.

I'll let folks draw their own conclusions. I will say that one of my co-workers plans to cross party lines to vote for Hillary in our primary. She says she's a "fifth-generation" Republican who has never voted for a Democrat in her life. Is she really really psyched about Hillary's candidacy? No, she plans to vote for McCain in the general. In the meantime, she wants to vote against Obama in the primary.

[Catherina]

17. That's HRC's winning Limbaugh strategy. It won't work n/t

[yardwork]

18. It hasn't worked. Obama has the nomination.

[leftynyc]

44. Using your flawed logic

That means 19% of Sen Obama's backers are also republican. I personally know 6 women who have always voted republican who will vote for Hillary in the general because they think it's time for a woman. If she's not on the ticket, they will vote McCain.

[yardwork]

47. Their logic is far more flawed than mine. If your friends want a female president

and they can't have Hillary, then why wouldn't they support another progressive candidate instead of a jerk Republican who will continue policies that hurt women?

My logic may be flawed but theirs is just stupid.

[leftynyc]

48. I agree with you and I'm

doing what I can to convince them of that. They just don't think he has the experience and they really didn't like the
Rev Wright.

[DemGa]

19. Clearly the divisiveness of Obama at work

Blame and spin all you want -- Barack Obama is ALIENATING large segments of the DEMOCRATS. It wasn't supposed to work that way was it Obamas?

We were supposed to all Hate Hilary in accord. What a farce.

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. What these results tell me is that Obama people have listened

and internalized his message of unity. The same cannot be said for Clinton and her supporters. I hope that Black Media starts shouting these results from the rooftops. I imagine the disparity comes from blacks who will vote for whomever the nominee is, but Hillary's old white woman demo will vote for McCain.

I hope the AA community sends the message that we won't be hoodwinked; NOT THIS TIME! If Hillary's the nominee, I'm all for sitting this one out.

[Beacool]

34. The more "black media" shouts it from the rooftops

that more they will repel the "average white person".

:shrug:

[book_worm]

22. Says a lot about some Hillary supporters that they like Hillary apparently want McCain more than

Obama.

[doodadem]

30. That's sad, but true

Talked to my mom back in the midwest last Sunday. She said she's feeling pretty lonely these days as a yellow dog democrat: everyone she knows is saying they'll vote for McCain before they vote for Obama. She was a staunch Hillary fan until recently, very disappointed with the way Clinton--and Bill--are acting.

Now that she's finally convinced Obama is not a Muslim, she's voting for him. She's come a long way baby, for a died in the wool, prejudiced as hell South Carolina transplant.

[kentuck]

24. More than a quarter of Clinton supporters are traitors...?

..to their Party??

[Craftsman]

35. "You are either with us or against us" Who does that remind you of?

[jzodda]

25. These polls are meaningless right now

Come back with one a month after we have a nominee and if it still shows these results, then I would say we have some problems. Its just too early and the primary is not over yet meaning emotions are running high.

[TeamJordan23]

28. Says a lot about Hillary supporters; many of them love GOP policies it seems. nm

[GoldieAZ49]

29. Does that include the 25% of white dems that said they wouldn't vote for Obama

per the Feb PEW research center?

It seems many forget why Repubs didn't want McCain as their nominee, he was not conservative enough. This is appealing to many dems in the center,

Remember most of America is in the center, they just want Washington to get their job done and stop the partisan BS.

Obama knows this and claims it is how he will govern. McCain actually has a record of doing this.

[Beacool]

33. Yep, I can attest to that.

None of you Obama supporters want to hear it. Plenty keep trashing Hillary and us, by doing so you're antagonizing many Democrats who by now would rather vote for McCain. Add to that list those who will either vote for Nader or stay home and your guy will have a problem in November.

[Vinca]

36. Anyone who votes for McCain over either Democratic candidate

is a selfish idiot who doesn't care that other people's kids are being killed in Iraq, doesn't care that McCain has no interest in addressing healthcare, wants to continue tax cuts for fat cats while we run up the Chinese credit card to pay for them, will appoint more than one ultra conservative Supreme Court justice and will - according to one pundit - make Dick Cheney look like Ghandi.

[Craftsman]

37. Whish is all the more reason we need to dump both of these two

and get soemone who will appeal to a broad range of people.

[wowimthere]

38. I say... SO WHAT! That only means...

Clinton supporters are just like her. Obama can overcome this come the general election. He will be able to distinguish himself from McCain.

People can do what they want with their vote. I am. I will only vote for Obama. I won't vote for McCain but I won't vote for Clinton either. I'm tired of Warmongers sitting in the white house making dumb decisions about war and peace while our men and women sacrifice their lives for those dumb decisions.

[Thrill]

39. Typical Stupid Democrats. Always quick to bolt to the Repukes side.

This is why you have George Bush for 8 yrs. Not a chance in hell would Repukes jump to the other side at that rate. Unreal

[Barack_America]

40. 28% of Clinton's supporters are not Democrats.

I'm not surprised. Should I be?

:shrugs:

In addition to potential "traitors in our midst", she also attracts women who are straight up Republicans. Should we be shocked that they would vote for the Republican candidate if not given the chance to vote for their gender? The true story in the general election will be Independents, and I feel confident that they'll swing back to Obama once the media remembers that McCain exists.

[wowimthere]

42. Agreed

Shocking that she can get the Republican vote who aren't voting for her because they have some wild affection for her. They want to embarrass her in the general election. It's easier to steal it from her.

[wowimthere]

41. No one can convince me that McCain and Clinton are different

They both voted for this war.
They both voted for the Kyle/Lieberman amendment
They both voted for the bankruptcy bill
They both voted against the Levin amendment
They both use the same talking points with regard to war

She couldn't even admit that her IWR was a vote for war.

Clinton and Bush never apologize for anything they've done. "It's just regrettable if someone was offended."

Sorry but we've seen that kind of politician before. I'm looking for a new kind.

Obama 08