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October 02, 2007

Give Us Some Real Numbers, Part Two

Back in July, when the last presidential campaign funding reports were filed, the numbers were all 33s. This time, they’re all 22s. I first noticed this when I read this morning that Hillary Clinton had raised $22 million for the primary and that she maintains a 22% lead over her top opponent, Barack Obama. Not everywhere, though, because Obama is in first place in the Hawkeye State (Iowa) where, interestingly, John Edwards is running third at – you guessed it - 22%. Iowa used to be the first state to vote, but this year New Hampshire moved its primary into first place to January 22. 22 states will hold primaries on February 5 this year. That could turn into a crucial day of reckoning for Republicans, who will be defending 22 seats in Congress this year.

Anyway, it seems 22% of white voters prefer Obama over the other Democratic candidates, and Obama is preferred by 22% of both women and men, though among women overall, Clinton has twice as much support at 44%. Poor John Edwards has only 1/2 the support of Obama among women at 11%. The candidate’s positions on health care will have at least some influence on the outcome of the election. A recent survey by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society found that 22 percent of Americans would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who favors the development of a Nationwide Health Information Network. It remains to be seen whether Iowans – or any of the rest of the states – will be influenced by memory of the 22 guilty pleas that resulted from all the Clinton scandals during Bill Clinton’s administration.

But what about Republicans? Well, a new poll in Washington state shows that if Obama and Mitt Romney went head-to-head there, Obama would win by 22%. I’m not sure how Obama is doing in Iowa, but Romney is currently enjoying 22% support there.

Posted by Becky at October 2, 2007 02:32 PM