<http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=24058&pg=1>
August 09, 2006 A Closer Look at Americans' Views of John McCain His issue positions are more of a negative than a positive for Republicans
by Jeffrey M. Jones GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- John McCain is considered by many to be the front- runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. He is rated positively by a majority of Americans, and is unique in that evaluations of him are similar among Americans of different partisan affiliations. While that would make him a formidable candidate in a general election, he could be vulnerable in Republican presidential primaries and caucuses. Indeed, in a recent poll Gallup found Republicans were more likely to find Rudy Giuliani or Condoleezza Rice, rather than McCain, as acceptable Republican presidential nominees.
A new Gallup Panel survey delved more deeply into Americans' views of McCain, trying to get a better understanding of what they like and dislike about him. In general, Americans admire him for his service in Vietnam and his time as a prisoner of war there, and for his perceived principled stand on issues. But not all Americans agree with the latter sentiment -- the most frequent criticism of him is that he is wishy-washy and needs to take a stand on issues.
In a broad sense, Americans cite McCain's character more often than his issue positions or experience when describing what they like about him, and are more likely to point to his issue positions when describing what they dislike about him. Republicans are more likely to say his issue positions are a reason to dislike the Republican senator than to like him. One positive note for McCain is that about 6 in 10 Americans cannot say anything they dislike about him.
Overall Opinion of McCain
Gallup polling has consistently shown that most Americans have positive opinions of McCain. According to a June 23-25 USA Today/ Gallup poll, 56% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of him, 25% an unfavorable opinion, and 19% do not have an opinion about him. These opinions have been fairly stable since McCain gained national prominence during the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, although he was rated slightly more positively (with favorable ratings averaging above 60%) then compared to now.
McCain stands apart from most politicians in that his ratings are similar across the three party groups. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans, 55% of independents, and 56% of Democrats rate him favorably.
By comparison, George W. Bush has a 40% favorable rating, but his favorable ratings are 86% among Republicans, 34% among independents and 12% among Democrats. Hillary Clinton, the presumed front-runner for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, has a 51% overall favorable rating, including 16% among Republicans, 52% among independents, and 75% among Democrats.
Likes and Dislikes About McCain
Gallup's July 24-27 Panel survey asked a nationally representative sample of respondents what they liked or admired about McCain, and separately, what they disliked about him. In general, Americans have a lot more positive than negative things to say about him, but the data also suggest the public does not have very well-formed opinions about McCain. Forty percent said they had no opinion or said there was nothing they admired about him, while an even larger percentage, 58%, had no opinion or said there was nothing they disliked about him.
Americans are most likely to say they like or admire McCain for his service in Vietnam. While there, McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese and was a prisoner of war for over five years. Fourteen percent laud him for doing what he believes in and not being wishy- washy.
McCain has positioned himself as a moderate, sometimes taking stances that run counter to the wishes of the majority of his party, such as his work to pass campaign finance reform. In fact, 5% of respondents specifically reference his not always being aligned with Republicans as something they like about McCain. Eight percent say he has high moral character.
The public has less to say negatively about McCain. The top response, mentioned by 9%, is that he is wishy-washy and needs to take a stance on issues. Five percent do not like him for his Republican politics and 4% for his support of President Bush; most of these respondents, not surprisingly, are Democrats.
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