When asked
whom they would vote for if the Republican primary were held
today, 28 percent preferred Fred Thompson (up from 26 percent in
May), whose closest rival, Mitt Romney, gained 14 percent of the
vote.
When asked whom they would vote for if the Republican primary
were held today, 28 percent preferred Fred Thompson (up from 26
percent in May), whose closest rival, Mitt Romney, gained 14
percent of the vote (down 2 percent from May). "Despite talk of
Thompson's stalled campaign this summer, conservatives have not
lost confidence in the former Senator," says Grassfire.org
President Steve Elliott.
Rep. Ron Paul showed the biggest gain from Grassfire's May poll,
rising from seventh position (6 percent) to a solid third
position (13 percent) -- a more than a 50 percent increase in
support among grassroots conservatives. Mike Huckabee's support
also rose, from 3 to 7 percent. "Paul's rise shows that
conservatives are not all that thrilled with the anointed
frontrunners," says Elliott. "Paul's message is resonating with
many conservatives, and it would be wise for the other
candidates to take note."
-- Although they favor Thompson, conservatives still expect
Giuliani to win the nomination.
-- Conservatives warn of an exodus should Giuliani face Clinton
in the
general election with 29% indicating they would abstain or vote
for a
third party -- an increase of 4% from Grassfire's May poll.
Slightly
less (25%) warned of an exodus in a Romney-Clinton general
election.
-- Conservatives now overwhelmingly expect Clinton to win the
Democratic
nomination (70%, up from 50% in May). The expectation of an
Obama
nomination dropped from 29 to 15%.
-- Conservatives have given up on McCain. The Senator lost half
his
support (down to 4%) while dropping by two-thirds among those
who
think he is likely to win (from 14 to 4%).
-- Support for "staying the course" in Iraq dropped from 67% in
May to
58% in August, while the percentage of conservatives calling for
withdrawal rose from 16 to 22%.
