Lieberman, known by dint of his vice presidential run in 2000, has 27 percent support among Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party. Twenty-four percent have no preference, signifying how wide open the race remains.
Fourteen percent support Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, 11 percent Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, and 10 percent Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York-based activist, has 7 percent support, and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean 3 percent.
The Al Gore Windfall
Al Gore's departure has made the race far more competitive than it had been. Last summer, in a matchup that included Gore and left out Lieberman, Gore dwarfed the field with 50 percent support; every other candidate was in the single digits. In the same ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll, but with Lieberman in the mix, the former vice president was just as formidable, receiving 46 percent support to Lieberman's 10 percent.
Lieberman does best in the West, where nearly four in 10 leaned Democrats back him. All the other candidates are strongest in their home regions: Gephardt in the Midwest, where he's preferred by 25 percent; Edwards in the South; Kerry and Sharpton in the East.
Democratic Presidential Preferences for 2004 |
| Today | July 2002 | Change |
| Lieberman | 27% | 21 | +6 |
| Daschle | NA | 14 | NA |
| Gephardt | 14 | 13 | +1 |
| Edwards | 11 | 7 | +4 |
| Kerry | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Sharpton | 7 | NA | NA |
| Dean | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| No Opinion | 24 | 29 | -5 |
| |
Lieberman also leads among both sexes, but does better among women — 31 percent support him, compared to 22 percent of men. Among older Americans, Lieberman runs first (30 percent) and Gephardt second (19 percent). Lieberman also finishes first among younger adults at 25 percent, but there Edwards places second and within striking distance, at 20 percent support.
Sharpton’s Shadow
All these candidates have declared their candidacies, most recently Sharpton. Beyond his single-digit support, he faces a considerable unfavorable rating. Forty-seven percent of all Americans, and more significantly, 42 percent of leaned Democrats, say they have an unfavorable impression of him.
Sharpton does receive a more positive rating among blacks, but it's below a majority, at 45 percent; and one in three blacks views him unfavorably. Twenty-one percent of black Democrats say they'd vote for Sharpton — as many as say they'd vote for Lieberman.
Methodology This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Jan. 16-20 among a random national sample of 1,133 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was done by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.
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