INTEREST — The standings are almost identical among registered voters, as well as among those who are paying close attention to the contest. And interest remains high: 69 percent of Americans say they're following the race closely, about where it's been all year. That's 15 points higher than close attention at this time in the 2004 contest, and eight points more than it was at about this time in the 2000 campaign.
There's good reason for the focus; this is the first election since 1928 in which neither the sitting president nor the sitting vice president has sought their party's nomination.
THE DEMOCRATS — Six in 10 Democrats pick Clinton as the "strongest leader" among their top candidates, her single best attribute. (She's done equally well on having the "best experience," not retested in this survey.) Clinton's gained 11 points on leadership since June, while Obama's lost six.
It matters: Among Democrats looking mainly for strong and experience in a candidate — as opposed to a "new direction and new ideas" — 62 percent favor Clinton, while only nine percent in this group support Obama.
As the insurgent, Obama does far better — 31 percent support — among Democrats mainly looking for a candidate who offers a new direction. His problem is that Clinton now leads in this group as well, a turnaround from June.
Clinton's also had a 14-point gain since June in another attribute, the notion that she's best able to win the general election in November. Fifty-seven percent now see her as most electable, a perception possibly fueled by her steady campaign performance.
Among her relative weaknesses, substantially fewer Democrats see Clinton as the most "inspiring" candidate; Obama challenges her on this quality, 37 percent to 41 percent. And in her softest rating, 35 percent see Clinton as the most honest and trustworthy of the Democratic candidates; nonetheless, she also has gained some ground on this score since June.
On issues, as opposed to personal attributes, most of Clinton's advantages are enormous — notably on health care, on which she's issued a detailed proposal for full coverage. Two-thirds of Democrats prefer her approach on health care, vs. just 14 or 15 percent for Edwards or Obama.
In another measure of strength, 61 percent of Clinton's supporters say they're "strongly" behind her (as do 52 percent of Obama's). That's a notable accomplishment by Clinton, since "strong" support can dissipate as a candidate's overall support increases.
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