Thread: McCain, Romney in tight California race

Sorry if this has been posted already. We have to get the word out on McCain's terrible, liberal record in many areas. If you know anyone in California, please advise them that McCain is trying to hide his record on illegal immigration and other matters:
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McCain, Romney in tight California race
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle political writer

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The withdrawal of GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson dramatically tightens the Republican field in California, where John McCain and Mitt Romney are now in a virtual dead heat for first place, and Rudy Giuliani - once the party front-runner - has fallen to a distant third place, a new Field Poll shows.

The Field Poll of 377 likely California GOP primary voters - taken between Jan. 14 and 20 - shows that Thompson's decision, announced Tuesday, to leave the GOP race will probably benefit Romney and Giuliani most.

With Thompson in the mix, Arizona Sen. McCain led the GOP pack at 22 percent, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Romney at 18 percent, and Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tied at 11. One in 5 likely GOP voters is still undecided, the poll showed.

But without Thompson, the poll showed McCain's lead over Romney shrinks to a tight two percentage points - 23 to 21 percent - while Giuliani gets 13 percent and Huckabee 12, with Rep. Ron Paul of Texas at 7 percent.

The poll - which has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.2 percentage points - was released shortly before the former Tennessee senator announced his departure from the GOP race; but in California, the "Law & Order" actor had already become a mere footnote in the state race, with just 9 percent in the polls.

"Thompson's supporters were strong conservatives, so it's not surprising that they would tend to migrate more to Romney than McCain," said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo. "It makes the race closer." Poll respondents who had selected Thompson were asked at the time for a second choice, he said.

With just two weeks to the Feb. 5 "Super Duper Tuesday" primary in the nation's most populous state, the biggest surprise in the latest Field Poll may be the apparent collapse of Giuliani's once formidable appeal in California.

Just a month ago, the former New York mayor held the undisputed lead in the state among GOP hopefuls, with 25 percent - support that has now been cut in half.

But though Giuliani is boosted by two points without Thompson in the race, he still has "fallen off the radar screen in the primaries," said DiCamillo. "He was one of the better known candidates ... he had an early lead. Now, the others are quite well known, voters have learned a lot - and Giuliani is nowhere to be seen."

DiCamillo said McCain has vaulted to the top in the Golden State in large part because his hawkish position on the Iraq war has resonated with loyal Republican primary voters.

"He's been proven correct to some extent" on the war, said DiCamillo. "He stuck with the president ... and when you look at California Republicans' views on the war, 52 percent approve and 42 percent disapprove" of Bush's policies.

To those voters, "it seems that the surge has benefited the United States. (McCain) is getting accolades for that, and it reinforces his image as a straight shooter," DiCamillo said.

Steve Schmidt, a senior strategist for McCain, said the latest California poll "is consistent with data from all over the country that shows John McCain surging into first place as the most electable candidate to beat the Democrats in November."

He said that with the Super Duper Tuesday primaries all being "momentum campaigns," McCain's rise in the polls contrasts with the marked decline of Giuliani.

"He sat out all the early-state contests. And you can't start the game in the middle and hope to have a positive outcome," Schmidt said.

"The Giuliani strategy had the effect of removing him from serious news coverage for over a month."

Among the other findings of the Field Poll:

-- McCain leads Romney 36 to 21 percent among voters who say he "has the right experience," 32 to 20 percent among voters who believe he "has the best chance of winning the November general election," and 29 to 20 percent among voters who thinks he "will be able to unite the U.S."

-- Romney leads McCain 32 to 20 percent among voters who think he "best represents what the Republican Party stands for" and 23 to 18 percent among voters who say he "best represents change."

-- McCain leads Romney by a 3-to-1 ratio among Republicans who call themselves "moderately conservative, moderate or liberal," while Romney is favored 26 to 16 percent among Republicans who call themselves conservative.

-- McCain has the strongest favorable-unfavorable rating among likely GOP voters, with 68 percent viewing him in a favorable light, compared with 22 percent who see him in an unfavorable light. Romney is seen in a favorable light by 59 percent of GOP voters, and by 23 percent in an unfavorable light. Giuliani is viewed in a favorable light by 54 percent, compared with 31 percent who see him unfavorably, and Huckabee is seen in a positive light by 51 percent, with 26 percent seeing him in an unfavorable light.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... NUJMPB.DTL

Man....is there any way that someone like Robin Williams would do some stumping for Romney in CA.

HOW CAN THIS ILL-TEMPERED CLOSET LIBERAL BE VIEWED AS A UNITER?