Obama Takes the Lead in Iowa
November 20, 2007
As of this week (Thanksgiving 2007) Senator Barack Obama (Ill.) is leading the Democratic polls over Senator Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) in Iowa. The new poll shows 30% of likely Democratic caucus-goers voting for Obama, compared to 26% for Clinton, 22% for former Senator John Edwards (N.C.), and 11% for Governor Bill Richardson (N.M.). Up to this point, Senator Clinton had been leading in Iowa. The Iowa poll does not reflect national polls, however, which still show Clinton in the lead.
The new Iowa poll centered around the question of whether Democratic voters preferred a candidate with strength and experience or with new ideas and direction. Fifty-five percent said that new direction was important, while thirty-three percent preferred strength and experience. Of those who said new ideas were more important, 43% would vote for Obama, 25% for Edwards, and 17% for Clinton. Of those who preferred strength and experience, 38% would vote for Clinton, 19% for Edwards, 18% for Richardson, and 12% for Obama.
The poll reflects a steady rise in Senator Obama’s popularity among Democratic voters, though most (both in Iowa and across the country) still see Senator Clinton as the candidate most likely to win the nomination. She is also seen as the candidate with the best chance of successfully facing the Republican nominee in the national election.
