Ron Mills- News And Commentary: Clinton's Polling Numbers: The best they have been in 2 years

Friday, May 02, 2008

This is Sen. Clinton's strongest overall performance since the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University began special surveys two years ago in the three largest and most important swing states in the Electoral College. This latest survey finds:
Florida: Clinton tops McCain 49 - 41 percent; McCain gets 44 percent to Obama's 43 percent; Ohio: Clinton beats McCain 48 - 38 percent; McCain gets 43 percent to Obama's 42 percent; Pennsylvania: Clinton tops McCain 51 - 37 percent; Obama leads McCain 47 - 38 percent.
Among white working-class voters, Clinton ties McCain 45 - 45 percent in Florida, leads 46 - 40 percent in Ohio and 48 - 40 percent in Pennsylvania. These same voters back McCain over Obama 51 - 34 percent in Florida, 49 - 34 percent in Ohio and 45 - 38 percent in Pennsylvania.
"If the super delegates are looking at electability, these results could be a shot in the arm for Sen. Clinton. No one has won the White House since 1960 without carrying two of these three swing states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And she clearly is running much better against Sen. McCain than is Sen. Obama, at least for now," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"There is no indication that Obama's problems with white working class Democrats in the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries have gone away," Brown added.