Gallup Poll: Many Democrats Ready to Vote McCain if Their First Choice Doesn’t Make It to November
Many Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters are ready to spurn the Democratic party and vote for John McCain in November if their candidate doesn’t win the presidential nomination, according to a new poll out Wednesday.
And a second poll out Wednesday shows most voters — including 85 percent of Democrats — believe there’s a chance that the battle between Clinton and Obama will not be resolved before the August convention.
Among people who identified themselves as Hillary Clinton supporters, 28 percent said they would vote for McCain if Obama is his opponent, the March 7-22 Gallup Poll Daily election tracking survey found.
The same poll found that 19 percent of Obama supporters would switch sides and cast ballots for McCain if Clinton is the Democratic candidate.
The survey interviewed 6,657 Democratic voters nationwide and had a margin of error of 2 percent.
Click here to read the Gallup Poll discussion of the survey.
Gallup analysts note that the results could change by November, by which time Democrats will have made great efforts to unify the party.
Gallup analysts also noted that voters tend to threaten party desertion but don’t necessarily do so. A recent Gallup survey found that 11 percent of Republican voters said they would vote for a different party or not at all if McCain doesn’t pick a running mate who is more conservative than he is.
Historically, the party-switch factor has shown to be less dramatic, Gallup analysts said. Less than 10 percent of Republicans and Democrats crossed party lines in pre-election Gallup polls from 1992 to 2004.
In the second poll, Rasmussen Reports found that 87 percent of all voters — and 85 percent of Democrats — believe it is “somewhat likely” that both Clinton and Obama will remain in the race until the convention. Fifty-two percent of Democrats said it is “very likely” the nomination won’t be decided until the convention.
The Rasmussen poll (March 24-25, 800 likely voters, +/- 4 percentage points) also found that there’s equal dislike on either side of the Democratic race for the rival candidate: 22 percent of both Clinton and Obama supporters said they believe the other candidate should drop out of the race.
As a long time Democrat…I will say that if Obama gets the nomination… I will vote for Mc Cain….. I am would never vote for a Racist like Obama… The media is trying to make it seem like this Wright thing isnt a big deal….Well everyone I have talked to thinks it is… I was a CNN fan for years…Now i hate CNN and their Bias…. what a shame when I find myself agreeing more with FoxNews than Cnn….. Jesus never preached hate…. And I would never have stayed in that church for even 1 more minute hearing that hate ….
Obama is a LIAR! He lied to the enitre nation about the Rev Wright fiasco and then tried to justify and rationalize it away!
How could anybody vote for a perosn that lied to their face on national television. How do you think the world will look at Obama after he lied about Rev Wright?
If you don’t have your INTEGRITY you can’t lead!
I would never vote for Obama!
Well I am a Republican and I am not voting for McCain. I am still having problems understanding how he duped the party into becoming the only Republican candidate. That may say something about the condition of the party. Time for a third party, a conservative party. A party that promotes democracy and capitalism. A party that gets away from all this PC rhetoric. A party that can stand up on its own two feet and not go a different direction everytime the wind blows.
Have you heard the latest? Hillary tells of how she once attended a Rev. Wright sermon at Trinity Church, on Bill’s behalf.
They had to run to their cars under sniper fire.
If it’s between Obama and McCain, I will definitely vote McCain. Obama scares me with his church and his inexperience. I am hoping that Mrs. Clinton will win the primary.
I am a Marine. I have been recently returned from my 3rd deployment to the middle east. McCain has 2 sons that are Marines they will be in harms way. I will vote for him.
You don’t like his handler??? Good, let John McCain win and keep us in Iraq for 100 years. Obviously you don’t care about pro-choice, stem cell research, the economy, the war, healthcare or anything the Democratic platform stands for. All Democrats should be ashamed for going against their principles.
You can and probably will call me a racist. I can not vote for someone i never heard of and who has no record of competent accomplishments. I had strong feelings for Barack at first but up to this point he has not sold me on any aspect of experience, or solutions of the countries problems. All I have heard is rhetoric about what is wrong or about Hillary. Mr Obama seems to be over his head by the media’s rhetoric. His past accomplishments and associates with Farrankan and Pastor Wright do not show good judgement because of there outlook on America, it is there way or the highway. That will not get the majority of Americas voters. Until three years ago Mr Obama was an unknown small time politician from Chicago which does not have a very good record for political choices., from that background to the most powerful man in the world is a stretch and he has not been inspiring in anything except good and loud and clear speaking with not a thought of any real possible solution. He comes off as a future great candidate but his exposure to this point shows absolutely no experience to handle this job at this time. I will not vote for a GOP candidate but I will write in a candidate and hope for the best. Mccain is an old man who is living a fantasy about war mongering. NOT ON MY VOTE!!!!!!
GO HILLARY!!!
Obama will never win the election with a radical, anti-American preacher who he will look to for advice and mentor. Americans will never let that happen - neither will the superdelegates.
If Obama should ever win - I will have to vote Republican!!!
From the get go I have supported the Dem party and still do because to me Reps mean more Bush line of thought and I can’t handle much more of that. So would i vote for McCain, not on my life. I totally support Obama’s campaign and am willing to see it through to the end, even if it means not voting if he doesnt make it. I think Clinton is a power hungry person and will bite, claw and scratch her way to the top. The question is what is she going to do if she makes it there. Her and McCain scare me.