A new poll finds that more New Mexico Democrats want Bill Richardson to be their party’s nominee for president in 2008 than any other candidate, but they don’t think it will happen.
A majority do, however, think he’ll be the party’s vice-presidential nominee.
The Albuquerque Journal poll, released Sunday, found that 44 percent support Richardson in the primary, compared to 17 percent for Hillary Clinton and 8 percent each for Barack Obama and John Edwards.
On the flip side, 52 percent of New Mexico Democrats think Clinton will win the nomination. Only 11 percent think Richardson will win it.
Research and Polling surveyed 407 registered Democrats between Tuesday and Thursday for the Journal. The poll had a margin of error of 5 percent.
Even though Richardson says he doesn’t want the vice presidential spot on the ticket, 55 percent of those polled said he’ll get it.
Richardson was also graded by those surveyed for his performance on the campaign trail; 25 percent gave him an A, 42 percent gave him a B, 21 percent gave him a C, 10 percent gave him a D and 2 percent gave him an F.
The poll reveals the reality of the race for the Democratic nomination. As Rasmussen Reports states today, the contest for the Democratic nomination has been remarkably stable in recent weeks, with Clinton climbing slightly in national polls and the other candidates not moving much – up or down.
“One reason that the Democratic race has remained so stable is that it’s been difficult for Obama and Edwards to articulate a convincing reason to dethrone Clinton as the frontrunner,” the report states. “Democratic voters see only modest ideological differences between the three leading candidates. Also, while Democrats are fairly confident that all three would have a chance to win the general election, they have the most confidence in Clinton.”
In the New Mexico survey, 48 percent said Clinton will win the general election if she wins the primary, while 31 percent said she’ll be defeated in the general election if she wins the primary.
A new poll finds that more New Mexico Democrats want Bill Richardson to be their party’s nominee for president in 2008 than any other candidate, but they don’t think it will happen.