GOP Support Hits 20-Year Low

Most approve of his handling of controversy

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama appears to be recovering—mostly—from the furor over his former pastor's incendiary remarks, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll. His lead over Hillary Clinton has increased from 8 points to 12 points—50% to 38%—among Democratic primary voters, who also approve of how he handled the flap over comments by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, 68% to 22%. There's still some negative residue, however. More»

Pastor controversy rears up again for Obama and McCain

(NEWSER) - The controversial pastor who triggered trouble for Barack Obama delivered a fiery, unapologetic speech to a sold-out NAACP crowd in Detroit yesterday, blasting "corporate media" for painting him as un-American. "I am not running for the Oval Office," said the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. "I have been running for Jesus, and I'm not tired yet." Just hours earlier Wright reemerged as a campaign issue in comments by both Obama and McCain. More»

37% approval rating worst of campaign; Obama appears to weather pastor storm

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton is suffering some of the worst poll numbers of her political career, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Clinton chalked up a personal approval rating of just 37%, the lowest since March 2001, two months after her election to the Senate. And of Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain, the poll ranked Hillary the least capable of uniting the nation. More»

Candidates in dead heat with voters who feel worse off than last election

(NEWSER) - Voters say they'd rather see a Democrat than a Republican in the White House—by a 50% to 37% margin, a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds—but when it comes to the two Democratic candidates still in the race, John McCain is going to be tough for either to beat. Barack Obama leads McCain by just 47% to 44% in the poll, while Hillary Clinton leads the Republican nominee 47% to 45%. The distinction is insignificant because both results are within the poll's margin of error. More»

(NEWSER) - The gloves are off in the Republican presidential race, with the McCain and Giuliani campaigns forming a tacit alliance to take down Mitt Romney, the Politico observes. McCain said today that, unlike Romney, “I’m not going to con you,” while Giuliani ruthlessly derided Romney for saying a president should “sit down with your attorneys” before deciding to attack Iran. More»