Sen. Hillary Clinton will have to overcome a lack of crossover appeal if she is to do well as a presidential candidate, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.
(AP Photo)Some factors are working well for Sen. Hillary Clinton in early jockeying for the 2008 presidential election: partisan loyalty, leadership, "values" and approachability. But another -- crossover support -- remains as elusive as ever for the New York Democrat.
About two-thirds of Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post poll call Clinton a strong leader and someone who has strong family values. More than half say she's open and friendly, understands their problems and is honest. Overall, 54 percent view her favorably.
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| Sampling, data collection and tabulation for this poll were done by TNS. |
But the former first lady continues to be a polarizing figure. As many Americans strongly dislike as strongly like her (three in 10 in each case). And 42 percent wouldn't even consider voting for her, compared with 28 percent who rule out Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
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Election 2008 |
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| Would Definitely Vote For | Would Consider | Would Definitely Note Vote For | |
| Clinton | 19% | 38% | 42% |
| McCain | 9% | 57% | 28% |
Indeed, Clinton's challenge is the mirror image of McCain's. She's strong in her base -- good for getting nominated -- but weaker in the center, and strength there is critical in a general election. McCain, despite recent attempts at repositioning, remains better placed for a general election but with less of the partisan base it takes to win the nomination in the first place.
For example, 37 percent of Democrats at this early stage say they'd "definitely" support Clinton, while just 11 percent of Republicans say they're definitely with McCain. It's very similar among ideological groups: Thirty-five percent of liberals are definitely for Clinton, compared with 10 percent of conservatives "definitely" for McCain.
What McCain lacks in base support he gains in the center. More than half of Democrats say they'd at least consider him, compared with just one in four Republicans who'd at least consider Clinton. And Independents -- the quintessential swing voters -- are 12 points more likely to say they'd at least consider McCain than Clinton.
