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Poll: Clinton Has Big Lead Over Primary Challenger

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has a huge lead over anti-Iraq war activist Jonathan Tasini among likely Democratic Senate primary voters, a statewide poll reported Monday.
It was the second such poll in less than a week to show Tasini faring poorly against the well-financed former first lady in the run-up to the Sept. 12 primary.

The Siena College Research Institute poll found the first-term senator leading Tasini, 79 percent to 12 percent. That mirrors the findings of a WNBC-TV/Marist College poll out last week that had Clinton leading Tasini, 83 percent to 13 percent, ahead of the Sept. 12 primary.

While Clinton is viewed favorably by 77 percent of those surveyed by the Siena College pollsters, Tasini is largely unknown with 88 percent of the Democrats not offering an opinion when asked if they had a favorable (6 percent) or unfavorable (6 percent) view of the former president of the National Writers Union.
Recent statewide polls have also shown Clinton with hefty leads over her potential GOP Senate challengers, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer or Reagan-era Pentagon official Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland. The latest Siena poll only measured Clinton's standing against Tasini among Democrats.
Recent national polls have shown Clinton to be the front-runner among potential 2008 Democratic presidential contenders. The Clinton camp followed form in reacting to the latest poll, expressing pleasure that the senator appeared in good shape for re-election and refusing to be drawn into any discussion about 2008.
"One of the reasons the senator enjoys that support is because voters know that she is focusing on her work and isn't distracted by hypothetical polls," said Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson. Clinton has said she is focused solely on re-election this year and is not thinking about a possible 2008 presidential campaign.
Siena's telephone poll of 410 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted July 17-21 and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 5 percentage points.