Here are some interesting findings from the final Gallup pre-primary poll of likely voters in the New Hampshire Republican primary.
[Disclaimer 1: This was a PRE-PRIMARY poll, not an exit poll.]
[Disclaimer 2: It was a poll taken while a lot of New Hampshire voters said they still hadn't made a final decision on their vote. So you're advised to use caution in extrapolating a likely outcome in today's voting from this info. We do...]
* No Electability Edge for New Hampshire GOP Front-Runners. Gallup reports that Republican voters are equally likely to perceive Arizona Sen. John McCain and ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as having the best chance of beating the Democratic nominee in November.
* McCain Seen as Sincere and Effective. Gallup found significant advantages for McCain on three items: "standing up for what he believes in," "being in touch with the average American," and "getting things done in Washington."
* Romney as the New Broom. Romney, a venture capitalist whose 2003-07 term as Massachusetts governor is his only stint in public office, has been running on the theme of bringing change to Washington. This set him up for a zinger from McCain in a GOP debate Saturday: Referring to accusations that Romney has flip-flopped on abortion and some other major issues, McCain jibed that his rival is definitely "the candidate of change." Nonetheless, the Gallup poll found Romney had the edge in that argument among New Hampshire Republicans preparing to vote in today's primary: "Thirty-one percent of New Hampshire GOP voters say Romney is the candidate with new ideas to help solve the country's problems," said Gallup, compared with 18% for McCain, 15% for ex-Arkansas Gov. (and Iowa caucus winner) Mike Huckabee, 12% for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and 10% for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
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