Edwards in (Kind of) Second Place in New Hampshire
by Ryan Sager
Tue, 3 Apr 2007 at 6:39 PM
updated Tue, 3 Apr 2007 at 6:54 PM
It's only by a point in a poll with a 5.5% margin of error, but John Edwards is now in second place in New Hampshire, according to the latest CNN/WMUR New Hampshire primary poll. That's Hillary Clinton at 27%, Edwards at 21%, and Barack Obama at 20%. Mrs. Clinton has fallen 8 percentage points (from 35%) since February. Mr. Obama essentially saw no change in his support in this poll over this period.
As always, these are early, fluffy numbers. But we can surmise pretty soundly that Mr. Edwards is enjoying a sympathy and exposure bounce after the announcement that his wife's cancer has returned. While poll respondents overwhelmingly (85%) claimed that the announcement (and his decision to continue his campaign) have not affected their views of him, this is patently absurd.
While voters may not identify themselves as having had their views affected — or while they may be actively denying it — it's clear he's experiencing a bounce, and nothing else has happened that is likely to have been behind it.
Interestingly, however, 14% of Democrats think Mr. Edwards should have dropped out of the race on account of his wife's cancer. And 8% of Democrats said that his "cancer announcement" made them feel less favorably toward the former North Carolina senator, as opposed to 5% who said the opposite.
So, there is clearly some significant sentiment out there that disagrees with Mr. Edwards's choice with regard to his wife's cancer. It doesn't seem to be a widely held sentiment (unless poll respondents are lying — which is a definite possibility), but it's out there.
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