McCain ‘08 bid losing steam

The L.A. Times poll starkly illustrates the extent to which Republican voters hold against Mr. McCain a number of perceived transgressions.

Asked whom they would not vote for under any circumstances, 22 percent of Republican voters said Mr. McCain — almost twice as many as those who said Mr. Giuliani, the second most-frequently mentioned candidate. He was followed by 9 percent who said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 8 percent who said Mr. Romney.

Some said it’s still too early to declare Mr. McCain’s second run for president a one-way road to failure.

“Much too soon to conclude anything like that,” pollster John Zogby said. “His money is low, his numbers are anemic, his stance on the war is out of the mainstream, and he got hurt with conservatives on immigration, but he is still John McCain, a war hero, a maverick and a man with a story to tell.”