Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani looks like he’s making lots of headway with the GOP base and if you look at this new Rasmussen poll:
After being virtually tied with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for several months, Republican contender Rudy Giuliani now leads Clinton up 47% to 40% in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
In the match-up of the frontrunners, this result marks a significant shift. For the last three months the two frontrunners have never been further apart than three percentage points. Last month, Giuliani and Clinton were separated by just a single point.
And the poll suggests that for now, at least, Giuliani would be a stronger GOP candidate than candidate-in-waiting former Senator Fred Thompson:
Senator Clinton fares modestly better against former Senator Fred Thompson. Clinton now has a three point edge over him, 46% to 43%. All four previous Clinton-Thomas have also been toss-ups.
Giuliani had been undergoing a slide in the Rasmussen polls, but no more:The slide in Mayor Giuliani’s favorable rating seems to have bottomed out for now. After hitting a low of 50% favorable for two weeks in a row, he’s now viewed favorably by 52%. Thompson is viewed favorably by 43%, bringing him back up to where he was in late July.
In contrast, Clinton’s favorable numbers have dropped a bit. She is now viewed favorably by 45%. That’s the first time all year her ratings have dipped below the 47% mark. Clinton’s unfavorables have always been high and are currently at 52%.
But Rasmussen notes that Clinton is still the Democrats’ “default” candidate — and that Giuliani’s political fortunes hinge on what happens once Thompson enters the race.