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Gallup has been one of the leading polling organizations in the world for more than 70 years. Using a variety of measurement tools and training techniques, Gallup consultants also help organizations boost growth through customer engagement and improving employee productivity.With their nomination battle settled months ago, Republicans are in the enviable position of being able to watch the Democratic battle of attrition as a form of blood sport. And while many are just glad to see the Democrats pounding and potentially weakening one another, many Republicans are intensely interested in how it will play out.
Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was joyfully urging Republicans in remaining primary states to vote for Hillary Clinton, simply to prolong the intra-party mayhem. He may have incited enough of them to cost Obama the Indiana primary. Plus, a considerable number of Republicans have been changing their party registration, although many may doing so because they want to take part in a competitive race or because they actually want to vote for Clinton or Barack Obama in the fall.
The question of GOP preferences in the Democratic race is not an academic one. The extent of crossover voting by people in both parties could be a critical determinant of the presidential election. And Republican preferences can provide some idea of how likely a strong crossover vote is -- and which Democratic candidate would be most likely to draw the largest bloc of Republican voters.
The polling company Gallup has shed some light on what GOP voters may be thinking. The party is close to evenly split on their preference, going narrowly for Obama over Clinton, 48%-44%. But Gallup also delves into the motivation of those voters for picking one over the other. "Some have more serious concerns about one of the two Democratic candidates possibly being elected than the other, and thus would rather see the 'lesser of two evils' emerge as the nominee," Gallup says. "Others are more strategic in their preferences, and regardless of how they feel about the two Democrats, want the outcome to be settled in a way that gives the GOP the best chance of winning in November."
The organization says a poll taken April 18-20 shows that well over half of Republicans, 59%, appear to favor the Democrat they perceive as the lesser of two evils. Thirty-three percent of those prefer Obama because they are more worried about Clinton being elected, and 26% prefer Clinton because they are more concerned about Obama being elected. "Just 22% of combined Republican Obama and Clinton supporters can be considered strategic because their choice of Democratic nominee is mostly based on their perceptions of whom McCain has the better chance of defeating."
To read the entire Gallup article Republicans Divided in Preferences for Democratic Nominee, click here.
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