Clinton holds lead over Obama for 2008 nomination
UNITED STATES: Hillary Clinton, who took a key step Saturday toward a
2008 White House bid, holds a large lead over rival Barack Obama for the
Democratic nomination for the race, according to a new poll.
Clinton, wife of former president Bill Clinton, leads Obama an
Illinois senator who joined the race earlier this week 41 percent to 17
percent in the poll released by ABC News and The Washington Post on
Saturday.
The poll also found that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was
favored 34 percent to 27 percent over Senator John McCain for the
Republican nomination to contest the 2008 race. The poll was taken
January 16-19, ahead of Clinton's announcement Saturday that she was
joining the race. A random sampling of 1,000 adults was surveyed for the
poll.
Both the Republican and Democratic nominations will be decided in a
series of state primary elections that start at the beginning of next
year.
Meanwhile Clinton, in her first public appearance since joining the
2008 White House race, said she wanted to become U.S. president because
she was "worried about the future of our country."
The former first lady, appearing at a health clinic in Manhattan to
promote expanded health insurance for children, faced a mob of
journalists eager to quiz her on her historic campaign to be the first
female U.S. president.
"I'm worried about the future of our country, and I want to help put
it back on the right course so that we can work together to meet the
challenges that confront us at home and abroad," she said.
"I am best-positioned to be able to do that, and that's why I'm
running," Clinton added.
New York, Monday, Reuters |