As Senator John McCain tacks to the right to gain his party's 2008 presidental nomination, his poll numbers against a hypothetical Democratic candidate are falling.
A Marist poll taken at the end of September shows that McCain scores 48 percent against Hillary Clinton's 42. McCain's numbers are down four points from Feburary, while Clinton's have risen by one. The undecideds in the hypothetical matchup rose from 6 to 9 percent.
On the Question "Who do you want to run for President?", McCain plummeted from 56% in Feburary to 47% in September.
http://pollingreport.com/...
With these numbers (confirmed in other polls) it seems McCain would be VERY vulnerable to a Democratic challenger without Clinton's baggage and high unfavourables.
It sounds to me that moderate voters and independents are starting to worry about McCain's cozying up to the Chrisian Reich and his cave-in on torture. It has always been the conventional wisdom that McCain would be an especially strong candidate in 2008 because he could count on stong independent and even some cross-party support.
We don't have the cross-tabs, but you can bet his support among Democrats has plunged, and has taken a hit with independents too.
Between his pandering to the right and his strong support for this unpopular war, McCain may not be the strongest opponent we could face after all.
That title might just go to the frinedly Governor of a Southern state born in a little town called Hope.