For Immediate release
Republican Strategist: “John Edwards is the One that Scares Me the Most”
Republicans see Democratic candidate John Edwards as the greatest threat in the 2008 presidential election according to Republican strategist, John Feehery, who was a top aide to former Speaker of the U.S. House Dennis Hastert.
When MSNBC host Tim Russert asked Feehery to assess the Democratic race for President, Feehery probably surprised many viewers by saying, “I think we (Republicans) would be very comfortable with either Hillary or Obama (as the Democratic Presidential nominee).”
“I think the one that scares me the most is Edwards,” Feehery said. Continuing Feehery said, “Edwards is the one that scares me the most--and that’s because he's a Southern Democrat and Southern Democrats are the ones that usually win.”
Feehery’s perceptions were also strongly supported by Tuesday’s CNN poll that found that John Edwards was the only Democratic Presidential candidate to defeat all four Republican challengers in a head-to-head poll conducted for CNN, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation.
Republican Strategist: “John Edwards is the One that Scares Me the Most”
Republicans see Democratic candidate John Edwards as the greatest threat in the 2008 presidential election according to Republican strategist, John Feehery, who was a top aide to former Speaker of the U.S. House Dennis Hastert.
When MSNBC host Tim Russert asked Feehery to assess the Democratic race for President, Feehery probably surprised many viewers by saying, “I think we (Republicans) would be very comfortable with either Hillary or Obama (as the Democratic Presidential nominee).”
“I think the one that scares me the most is Edwards,” Feehery said. Continuing Feehery said, “Edwards is the one that scares me the most--and that’s because he's a Southern Democrat and Southern Democrats are the ones that usually win.”
Feehery’s perceptions were also strongly supported by Tuesday’s CNN poll that found that John Edwards was the only Democratic Presidential candidate to defeat all four Republican challengers in a head-to-head poll conducted for CNN, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation.
http://pull.xmr3.com/p/1-FF65/34931141/clickto1_12-10-poll.head.to.head-index.html
Story Quote: “Edwards performs best against each of the leading Republicans. In addition to beating Huckabee by 25 percent and McCain by 8 percent, the North Carolina Democrat beats Romney by 22 percentage points (59 percent to 37 percent).”
Here’s a chart of the relative performances of the Democratic candidates against the Republican Candidates:
(For all the poll results, see: http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/12/11/tue6ampoll.pdf
POLL SUMMARY
Edwards Wins All 4 ** Clinton Wins 3, Loses 1 ** Obama Wins 3, Ties 1
Edwards Clinton Obama
Huckabee Edwards +25 Clinton +10 Obama +15
Edwards Wins All 4 ** Clinton Wins 3, Loses 1 ** Obama Wins 3, Ties 1
Edwards Clinton Obama
Huckabee Edwards +25 Clinton +10 Obama +15
Huckabee Loses 3
Romney Edwards +22 Clinton +11 Obama +13
Romney Edwards +22 Clinton +11 Obama +13
Romney Loses 3
Giuliani Edwards +9 Clinton +6 Obama +7
Giuliani Edwards +9 Clinton +6 Obama +7
Giuliani Loses 3
McCain Edwards +8 McCain +2 Tie
McCain Edwards +8 McCain +2 Tie
McCain Wins 1, Ties 1, Loses 1
From these numbers, it is easy to determine the relative general election strength of all the candidates:
The rankings would place Edwards in a strong first place with wins against all the Republican candidates and an average margin of victory of 16.5%.
Obama would rank second, and Clinton would rank as the third strongest general election candidate.
McCain, at fourth, with a loss to Edwards, a win over Clinton, and a tie with Obama, for an average loss margin of only 2%, would be by far the strongest general election candidate of the Republicans.
From these numbers, it is easy to determine the relative general election strength of all the candidates:
The rankings would place Edwards in a strong first place with wins against all the Republican candidates and an average margin of victory of 16.5%.
Obama would rank second, and Clinton would rank as the third strongest general election candidate.
McCain, at fourth, with a loss to Edwards, a win over Clinton, and a tie with Obama, for an average loss margin of only 2%, would be by far the strongest general election candidate of the Republicans.
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