CPAC 2008 Presidential Straw Poll Shows No Clear GOP Frontrunner

Conservatives expect Hillary Rodham Clinton to win the Democratic nomination
in 2008

ALEXANDRIA, VA - A straw poll sample of the more than 4,000 attendees at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) revealed no clear frontrunner among potential Republican candidates for the 2008 presidential nomination, American Conservative Union Chairman David A. Keene said in a statement released today.

The more than 600 respondents to the Fabrizio McLaughlin & Associates poll, however, identified a clear favorite to win the Democratic nomination in 2008, Keene noted. Almost seven of ten respondents, 68 percent, said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton would be the Democrats' nominee. Among Democrats, no other name scored higher than 6 percent among the conservative activists who gathered Feb. 17-19 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.

"On the Republican side, it's clear that no one has the inside track for 2008 at this early date, Keene said. "The first and second place finishes by Rudy Giuliani and Condoleezza Rice at 19 percent and 18 percent respectively probably reflect their celebrity status more than anything else, especially among the college students who comprised almost two-thirds of those participating in the poll."

Keene noted the overwhelming support for President Bush's Social Security reform plan, 96 percent, and that the poll respondents split 54 percent to 46 percent against the president's guest worker immigration proposal.

On the issue of U.S. foreign policy, the CPAC attendees came down on the mainstream conservative rather than the neo-conservative side. By 61 percent to 34 percent, the respondents said America should use its military to defend its national security and economic interests, rather than to promote democracy around the world.

For more on the CPAC poll, contact ACU at 703-836-8602.