The latest poll from Zogby gives us a snapshot of the Presidential races on the Democratic and Republican sides since February 2007. Conclusions?*The Democratic side has remained roughly static for at least five months now, with Hillary Clinton the clear leader nationally (between 33% and 39%), followed by Barack Obama (24%-25%), John Edwards (11%-12%), and Bill Richardson (2%-5%).
*The Republican side, in contrast, has seen big changes, with John McCain imploding (from 20% to 9%), Rudy Giuliani slipping (from 29% to 21%), Mitt Romney inching up very slightly (from 9% to 11%), and Fred Thompson surging into the lead (from 7% to 22%).
In other words, Democrats have pretty much settled in, with Sen. Clinton about 8-15 points ahead of Sen. Obama, and Obama about 13-14 points ahead of John Edwards. Republicans appear to be highly confused right now, searching for someone - ANYONE - who can keep the Democrats from taking back the White House in 2008. We'll see if they settle on that person. Finally, these national polls are somewhat questionable in terms of their importance relative to polls of early caucus/primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida.
So there you have it, a snapshot of the 2008 Presidential race with about 6 months until Iowa. Will anything change the dynamics of this race on the Democratic side, or will Hillary Clinton steamroll to the nomination? Will Republicans coalesce around a candidate, and if so, when? Will party nominees be decided early this year - say, by February 5 or so - or will the primaries drag on for months, even leading to a brokered convention (or two)? Lots of questions, few answers at the moment. I guess that's what maks this fun, at least for us political junkies! :)