There are speeches and drama on the dais, campaign advertising is bold and frequent while analysts offer ceaseless speculation. But the hubbub may be for naught: The American public does not feel particularly emotional about any of the White House hopefuls, according to a Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen poll released yesterday.
Overall, just 34 percent of the respondents said they are “passionate and deeply committed to a particular presidential candidate,” the survey found. More than half — 54 percent — denied they were ardent about anybody, while 12 percent were unsure how they felt.
The poll revealed a partisan passion gap. Among Republicans, 28 percent said they were emotionally involved, compared with 47 percent of Democrats. Men under 40 were the most engaged of all, with 58 percent reporting their ardor. Blacks ranked next at 51 percent.
When the passionate subset was asked “which candidate are you passionate about?” Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the most cited, with 34 percent, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 23 percent, former Gov. Mitt Romney, 11 percent, and former Gov. Mike Huckabee, 10 percent. Sen. John McCain led the single-digit choices, with the Arizona Republican winning support from 6 percent of the passionate, followed by former Sen. John Edwards and Rep. Ron Paul at 4 percent each, and former Mayor Rudolph W. Guiliani at 3 percent.
Four percent of these respondents were not sure who they cared about.
While Democrats in general have the most zeal, some candidates benefit more than others: 53 percent of Democrats cited Mrs. Clinton — besting the sentiments of women (39 percent being passionate about the former first lady), proof that the female vote is not necessarily a shoo-in for Mrs. Clinton. Among blacks, 49 percent said Mr. Obama inspired emotional involvement, with a quarter citing Mrs. Clinton.
“I am not surprised by these results. Most people don’t pay attention to politics when the election is so far off,” said John McNulty, an assistant professor of politics at Binghamton University who specializes in voter behavior.
“I don’t think anyone has a clear idea about the impact of extreme front-loading in this election. We’re seeing high turnout in the primaries — but public fatigue as well. Voter enthusiasm for the candidates is confined to those who are already politically active,” Mr. McNulty said. “It should pick up overall once the conventions get going.”
The survey also found respondents divided over former President Bill Clinton. Overall, 35 percent said Mr. Clinton’s brusque campaigning was helping his wife’s cause; 37 percent said he was “hurting” it. Another 17 percent said Mr. Clinton had no impact and 12 percent were unsure.
Mr. McCain, 71, should rest easy about his age in the meantime. Fifty-six percent of the respondents said he was not “too old” to be president; 27 percent said Mr. McCain was over the hill.
The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted Wednesday and Thursday and has a margin of error of three percentage points.
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