Nearly half of likely voters — 48 percent — are not satisfied with the current candidates for president, with Republicans and conservative voters the most unhappy about their likely candidate choices in November, a new nationwide Zogby Interactive poll shows.
In what could spell bad news for the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, an overwhelming 86 percent of self-described “very conservative” voters said they are displeased with the current presidential candidates, and 65 percent of these voters said they are very unsatisfied.
The vast majority of conservatives (76 percent) and Republicans (76 percent) also expressed significant dissatisfaction with the current candidates, as did more than half of political independents (55 percent).
How satisfied are you with the current candidates for president?
| | | | |
| Likely voters | Republicans | Democrats | Independents |
Satisfied | 51 percent | 24 percent | 82 percent | 44 percent |
Not satisfied | 48 percent | 76 percent | 18 percent | 55 percent |
Not sure | 1 percent | <1 percent | 1 percent | 1 percent |
Note: Some totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding
In contrast, Democrats are overwhelmingly content with the overall field of candidates, with 82 percent who say they are satisfied. Self-described progressives (85 percent), liberals (86 percent) and moderates (63 percent) also express strong satisfaction with the current candidates. The interactive survey of 7,562 likely voters nationwide was conducted May 6-9, 2008, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.1 percentage points.
Nearly Half Will Never Vote for Clinton
Even as some likely voters express dissatisfaction with the current candidates, many have already made up their minds for whom they won’t vote.
Almost half, 49 percent, would never vote for Hillary Clinton, while 44 percent won’t vote for Barack Obama, and 42 percent would never cast a ballot for John McCain. The numbers have changed slightly since a Zogby Interactive poll in October 2007, which found 50 percent would never vote for Clinton; 45 percent would never vote for McCain; and 37 percent would never vote for Obama.
In this latest survey, 75 percent of Democrats would never vote for McCain, but 22 percent also said they would never vote for fellow Democrat Clinton, and 13 percent said the same of Obama.
One in 10 Republicans would never vote for McCain, and the vast majority is dead-set against voting for Obama (78 percent) and Clinton (74 percent).
More than half (53 percent) of political independents would never vote for Clinton, compared to 42 percent who said the same of Obama and (38 percent) of McCain.
Which candidate would you never vote for?
| | | | |
| Likely voters | Republicans | Democrats | Independents |
Hillary Clinton | 49 percent | 74 percent | 22 percent | 53 percent |
John McCain | 42 percent | 11 percent | 75 percent | 38 percent |
Barack Obama | 44 percent | 78 percent | 13 percent | 42 percent |
Not sure | 6 percent | 2 percent | 8 percent | 8 percent |
Obama fares best among female voters, of whom 37 percent said they would not vote for him, compared to 41 percent who would never vote for Clinton, and nearly half (48 percent) who said they would not vote for McCain.
Most men (57 percent) said they would never cast a vote for Clinton and 50 percent said the same of Obama, while slightly more than a third (36 percent) said they would never vote for McCain.
Older voters are most likely to be resistant to voting for Clinton: 56 percent of those over 65 said they would never vote for her, compared 46 percent of those younger than 30.
These older voters show similar opposition to Obama: 53 percent of those older than 65 would never vote for Obama, but just 34 percent of those younger than 30 said the same. In contrast, younger voters show the most resistance to voting for McCain — half of those younger than 30 would never vote for the Arizona senator, compared to 36 percent of those older than 65.
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