Politico claimed "[o]ther recent polls ... placed Giuliani ahead of Clinton" but did not report which ones

Written by Kathleen Henehan

Published

A Politico article discussed the results of a recent poll showing that in the 2008 presidential election, registered voters would choose Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton over Rudy Giuliani by a margin of 51 percent to 43 percent. It also reported that "[o]ther recent polls, however, have placed Giuliani ahead of Clinton in a head-to-head race." The Politico did not cite any of these “other polls,” and, in fact, of eight polls released in October that featured questions about such matchups, just one found Giuliani leading Clinton.

A November 1 Politico article headlined “Clinton would cream Giuliani, poll finds” discussed the results of a recent Pew Research Center survey showing that in the 2008 presidential election, registered voters would choose Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) by a margin of 51 percent to 43 percent. The article also reported that "[o]ther recent polls, however, have placed Giuliani ahead of Clinton in a head-to-head race." However, the Politico did not cite any “other polls” finding Giuliani leading Clinton in a head-to-head matchup; in fact, of eight polls released in October that featured questions about such matchups, just one found Giuliani leading Clinton.

A Quinnipiac University poll of American voters conducted October 23-29 found that “if the 2008 election for President were being held today,” 43 percent would vote for Clinton, compared with 45 percent who favored Giuliani. The Quinnipiac University poll results contrast with seven other recent polls that found Clinton leading Giuliani:

  • A poll conducted October 21-23 by Democracy Corps, a Democratic polling group, found that “if the election for president were held today and the candidates were -- Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani,” 48 percent of likely voters would vote for Clinton, compared with 44 percent who would vote for Giuliani.
  • A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey conducted October 19-22 found that among registered voters, Clinton leads Giuliani 47 percent to 41 percent in a head-to-head matchup.
  • An October 18-21 Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll of registered voters found Clinton leading Giuliani 43 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head race.
  • An October 12-14 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll of registered voters found that “when the two front-runners are pitted against each other, Clinton leads Giuliani 49 percent to 47 percent.
  • A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll of registered voters conducted October 9-10 found that “if the 2008 general election were held today” and the candidates were Clinton and Giuliani, 47 percent of respondents would vote for Clinton, compared to 43 percent who would choose Giuliani.
  • A head-to-head matchup in an October 4-6 National Public Radio poll found that of likely voters, 44 percent would choose Clinton and 40 percent Giuliani if the “election for President were being held today.”
  • A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted September 27-30 found that "[i]f the 2008 presidential election were being held today and the candidates were (Rudy Giuliani, the Republican) and (Hillary Clinton, the Democrat)," 51 percent if respondents would vote for Clinton, while 43 percent would select Giuliani.