Highlights of AP-Yahoo poll on presidential swing voters
THE COMEBACK KID, GOP VERSION
Though former President Clinton has that title among Democrats, Republican presidential candidate John McCain might try staking a claim to it within his party. In last November's Associated Press-Yahoo News poll, people preferred an unnamed Democratic White House candidate to a Republican contender by 40 percent to 27 percent. In this month's survey, McCain was essentially tied with the two Democratic rivals: It was McCain 37 percent to Hillary Rodham Clinton's 36 percent, and McCain 36 percent against Barack Obama's 34 percent.
ELECTIONS AS POPULARITY CONTEST
Overall, 57 percent in this month's AP-Yahoo poll found Barack Obama likable, compared with 47 percent who said so about John McCain and 37 percent who thought so about Hillary Rodham Clinton. That's an increase since November of 8 percentage points for McCain and 6 points for Obama, while Clinton is 3 points lower.
STAYING WITH THE PARTY
Even though many who voted for President Bush in 2004 are unhappy with him, their loyalty to the GOP is about the same as the support John Kerry's backers from that year now show to Democrats. Roughly seven in 10 who backed Bush in 2004 are loyal to McCain in his matchups against Clinton or Obama, about the same as the number of 2004 Kerry supporters saying they would vote for Obama or Clinton.
MCCAIN ON ABORTION
Despite his repeated votes as senator to limit abortion rights, seven in 10 of those now backing McCain who in November did not support a Republican presidential candidate favor retaining Roe vs. Wade, the case by which the Supreme Court legalized abortion.
IRAQ
Forty-four percent of those backing McCain who last November did not support a Republican candidate think the U.S. should bring troops home from Iraq as soon as possible. Among those who have backed a Republican candidate all along, 87 percent want to keep troops there until the country is stabilized.
WHO IS SWITCHING
Of those now backing McCain who did not support a Republican candidate last fall, there is little difference by gender, education level or region of the country. Those under age 30 are significantly likelier to have made that switch than people in their 40s, and middle-income earners are likelier than those making under $25,000 a year.
