Weak Field

Adam Nagourney noted in yesterday's Week in Review that Republican primary voters aren't just having a hard time making up their minds, they don't really care for their choices: "A New York Times/CBS News poll last week found that none of the Republican candidates — not even the suddenly hot Mr. Huckabee — was viewed favorably by even half of Republican voters." Check out the result in graphical form: This is in stark contrast to the Democrats. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are seen favorably by majorities of Democrats, and John Edwards has a very favorable ratio. The general pattern, is just that the more famous the Democrat is, the more Democratic voters like him or her: Basically, if either Clinton or Obama winds up winning, the nominee is going to be someone who even many of the supporters of the other candidate have a favorable view of. It seems likely, meanwhile, that Edwards will become similarly well-liked if he has a breakout moment in and after Iowa. The Republicans, by contrast, are going to wind up nominating someone who many Republicans dislike.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/12/weak-field/47453/