LOS ANGELES - The latest poll shows New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Arizona Sen. John McCain winning by substantial margins in California’s presidential primary — but also that the races remain volatile a week before Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.
The Los Angeles Times/CNN/Politico poll, which was released on Monday, finds the former first lady leading her chief Democratic rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, by a margin of 49 percent to 32 percent among likely voters — with ex-North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in third place with 11 percent.
On the Republican side, the poll showed McCain, a senator from Arizona, with a 39 percent to 26 percent edge over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – a significant gain over the last Times poll. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani trailed at 13 percent, followed by ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 11 percent.
But the poll was conducted before Obama’s decisive victory in South Carolina on Saturday and endorsement by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy on Monday, and the poll found that about a third of likely Democratic voters said they could change their minds before Election Day.
That margin was even higher for Republicans, among whom more than four in 10 voters said they might switch candidates in the next week.
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– Photo credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria, John McCain signing autographs in Florida
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13 comments so far
Go Hillary ‘08
Go Press, and start vetting Obama. The free pass is sickening.
- Posted by steven michaelObama for president but ONLY if the US sheds its tired old colour prejudice.
Why elect the Clintons?
They are old guard - we need a new one!
- Posted by Keith M WarwickDon’t you think there could be a reason why clinton gets worse press? There’s more negatives there.
but vetting is bad. There shouldn’t be vetting on either side. Just focus on the positives of each candidate. That’s how politics should be.
- Posted by Joe DenverHow the polls have been wrong recently, it’ll be intriguing to see how inaccurate the poll turns out to be.
Despite the poll, i predict a 5 point win for hillary in california.
But Obama is the stronger candidate in my opinion.
Inspiration, unity, new face, against iraq war from the start, positive message, and as Ted Kennedy put it… “Ready on day 1″.
tired of the politics of old.
- Posted by Daniel NguyenA recent ABC poll shows Obama trailing by only 11 percentage points and it was conducted after South Carolina but before the Kennedy endorsements of Monday. Thus Obama is gaining. Go Obama, Go!
- Posted by Gavin YoungObama, Clinton, McCain, they are all interchangeable.
We need Ron Paul, only Ron Paul will bring balance to our country’s outrageous spending habits, improve health care WITHOUT starting some ridiculous socialized healthcare program, and he will end the DEA raids on sick and dying medical patients.
No other candidate, democrat or republican, will do these things. California loves Ron Paul, the freeways are littered with signs of his support, get ready for your defeat McCain, the good doctor is coming
- Posted by AaronOh yea, in case you didn’t know, Ron Paul IS a doctor and has been for many years delivering babies. No other candidate has this kind of experience which is why he is the only candidate that really understands what needs to be done to improve health care. Go to his website and look at all the issues he stands for!
- Posted by AaronROMNEY ‘08…the last thing we need is socialized health care.
- Posted by Tom Lambertthe gap ins SC was ’shrinking’ — yet it was a 2:1 rout. The gap in Calif is also shrinking (with the other candidate ahead) — and many people likely to switch — OBAMA 08 (by the way in our family the ‘training’ went in reverse - the youngest, 16 year old, converted the 20 and 26 year old brothers, and they together got the parental-units to swing too!) — That is what will make this country turnaround — and if the young voters turnout — the democratic party old guard/ machine is toast.
- Posted by adamThe last thing this country needs is the Clintons back in the White House. We dealt with their garbage for 8 years and counting. And since I’m military you can pretty much guess which way I’ll vote. There’ll come a time when we can finish in Iraq but now is not that time or everything we’ve worked hard to accomplish will get thrown out. Romney will allow business to do what they do best. Outsource labor to other countries. Aren’t we tired of funding China yet? I know we all like bargains but isn’t there a limit to the amount of jobs we’ll farm out? Huckabee…good ideas on tax reform but what would we do with all of the unemployed IRS employees? Relocate to other government offices I guess. Not sure about McCain as he’s a little too conservative in my book but good in other areas. As in recent politics, pick the best of the worst. Too bad we couldn’t mix the three Republican ideas together and make our own candidate.
- Posted by WayneClintons dirty tricks wont help, Obama The President
- Posted by Mary PaulVote McCain the only candidate who is authentic. Will tell you the truth no matter how hard it may be. He is a true patriot and will not let America go down in defeat like the Democrats. Only viable candidate to have served in the military and has children serving in the military. With a country in war on two fronts he’s the only candidate who’s got the Right Stuff.
- Posted by N. OtterGive the lady where credit is due. Who says Obama has the exclusive on unification? The Republicans are so divided that Mrs. Clinton is the only candidate who can unify the Republican party.
In town after town in the heartland, traditionally Republican voters are catching Obamania. This election is not going to be one abour red states vs the blue states, it is going to be on of the United States vs the Divided States, as we witness the transformation of Mrs. Cinton from the ‘inevitable candidadte’ to the ‘woman candidate’ and now to Senora Clinton, the ‘Hispanic candidate’. Do we see through all this? Can we choose unity over division? “Si, se puede!”
- Posted by P Judice