CRONKITE/EIGHT POLL: MCCAIN, CLINTON HOLD STRONG LEADS
By DANIEL RAVEN
Cronkite News Service
PHOENIX (Tuesday, Jan. 22) _ John McCain’s victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina have helped him build a wide lead among Republicans in his home state, according to a Cronkite/Eight Poll released Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s win in Iowa and momentum nationally haven’t helped him among Arizona Democrats, who continue to give Hillary Clinton a strong lead.
The poll found McCain, Arizona’s senior senator, with support from 41 percent of registered Republicans who had chosen a favorite or were leaning toward a certain candidate. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had support from 18 percent.
Clinton, a senator from New York, had support from 45 percent of registered Democrats who had chosen a favorite or were leaning toward a certain candidate. Obama, a senator from Illinois, had support from 24 percent.
Nineteen percent of Republicans and 21 percent of Democrats were undecided.
Barbara Norrander, political science professor at the University of Arizona, said things could change drastically in the two weeks remaining before Arizona’s Feb. 5 primary.
“Arizona voters are probably just starting to think about the process,” Norrander said.
The leading reason people listed for supporting McCain: his positions on issues (21 percent), followed by his experience (16 percent) and his military background (14 percent). For Romney, the main reason by far was his conservative values (40 percent).
For Clinton, the main reason for support was her experience (38 percent). For Obama, it was his vision for change (47 percent).
McCain isn’t letting poll results go to his head, said Kurt Davis, co-leader of the senator’s Arizona campaign.
“There is no surprise that those same people that returned McCain to office representing our state would also support him for president,” Davis said.
Dana Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Clinton’s Arizona campaign, said she wasn’t surprised by the result.
“Voters believe she will be ready to lead beginning the first day,” Kennedy said.
Raul Alvillar, Obama’s state director, said Arizona’s primary is too far off for him to be concerned about losing here.
“This is just one poll,” Alvillar said. “I feel extremely confident in the ground operation that we have in Arizona.”
While the poll found support for Clinton’s experience, Alvillar said that doesn’t count for everything.
“Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are some of the most experienced people in Washington and this country is still in no place that it wants to be,” Alvillar said.
The poll, conducted Thursday to Sunday by Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Eight/KAET-TV, involved 375 registered Republicans and 366 registered Democrats. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The Cronkite School operates Cronkite News Service.
Among other Republicans, the poll found Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who dropped out of the race Tuesday, with 9 percent and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 7 percent. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was second in the last Cronkite/Eight Poll, had just 4 percent.
Among other Democrats, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina had 9 percent.