Williams, Russert ignored own NBC poll to question Clinton's electability

While discussing a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll on the June 13 edition of NBC's Nightly News, host Brian Williams, after noting that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) is leading the Democratic field for the presidential nomination, said to NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert that "the $60,000 question is: Is she electable as president?" Russert cited a June 1-3 Gallup poll, which found that Clinton's "favorable rating amongst all Americans was 46 percent, her disapproval, 50 percent," and called this "a real warning sign." He concluded that "it would be a very difficult, hotly contested campaign -- winnable -- but no doubt difficult." But the June 8-11 NBC News/WSJ poll itself actually included a question specifically addressing the issue of Clinton's electability. The poll found that in a head-to-head match-up with the Republican front-runner, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Clinton would win, 48 percent to 43 percent, a 10-point change from the last NBC News/WSJ poll taken in March, which showed Giuliani leading Clinton 47 percent to 42 percent.

From the poll:

If the next election for president were held today, and Rudy Giuliani were the Republican candidate and Hillary Clinton were the Democratic candidate, for whom would you vote?

	06/07	03/07
Rudy Giuliani	43	47
Hillary Clinton	48	42
Depends (VOL)	1	3
Neither/other (VOL)	5	4
Not sure	3	4

The only other poll question that pitted a Democrat against a Republican featured Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) beating former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) 50 to 31 percent.

From the June 13 edition of NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams:

WILLIAMS: Now, Tim, as you know, we have an open election season here, first in many decades. What about -- starts with the Democrats, and as a subset of the Democrats -- Hillary Rodham Clinton's numbers.

RUSSERT: It's very important to look at this race now, Brian. Here we are in June of '07. Hillary Clinton's at 39 percent. She is up over Barack Obama now by 14 points. He has fallen from 31 to 25. John Edwards has fallen from 20 to 15 -- all this from April to June. The two debates have been very good for Senator Clinton, and Brian, amongst women, Senator Clinton is now leading Barack Obama by 18 points. There is a profound gender gap.

WILLIAMS: And if she succeeds and becomes the nominee of her party, the $60,000 question is: Is she electable as president?

RUSSERT: There's a real warning sign on that. We don't know. The Gallup organization did a poll. Her favorable rating amongst all Americans was 46 percent; her disapproval, 50 percent. So, it would be a very difficult, hotly contested campaign -- winnable -- but no doubt difficult.

—R.D.