Tim Russert: 'Independent men flee from Hillary Clinton'

David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Thursday November 8, 2007



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According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal presidential poll, respondents prefer a generic Democrat over a generic Republican by some fifteen percentage points. However, when asked specifically about Hillary Clinton vs. Rudy Giuliani, poll respondents put them in a dead heat.

Tim Russert discussed the poll with Matt Lauer on Thursday's Today Show. "It's remarkable," Russert commented. "Independent men flee from Hillary Clinton and go to Rudy Giuliani." He noted that Clinton leads Giuliani by 53% to 38% among women, while the figures for men are almost exactly the opposite.

Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted the survey along with a Republican partner, told NBC News that widespread disapproval of the Republican Party gives Clinton "a magnificent tailwind" but that her polarizing image and high negatives suggest she would have a real struggle in the general election.

The poll shows Barack Obama well ahead of Clinton even among Democratic voters on measures of both likeability and honesty, but Clinton comes out ahead when asked about experience and leadership. And although Clinton has a substantial lead over Obama and Edwards among Democrats nationwide, Russert noted that all three are "in a deadlock in Iowa" and the results in that state could change everything "overnight."

The following video is from NBC's Today Show, broadcast on November 8, 2007.







