NPR: Poll: McCain Age May be a Factor in the Fall

Poll: McCain Age May be a Factor in the Fall

Now that we have at least one presidential nominee, we're going to start seeing a lot more polls about how the candidates will do against one another. And two new polls about the general election in the fall have so-so news for new Republican nominee Sen. John McCain.

In a new Washington Post-ABC Sen. Barack Obama leads McCain by 12 percentage points, while Sen. Hillary Clinton leads him by 6. One of McCain's biggest problems may be his age. McCain is 72.

"More than a quarter of those polled said they are less inclined to support McCain because he would be the oldest person ever to become president. The percentage discouraged by McCain's age is more than double that of people who would be less enthusiastic about supporting Obama because he is African American or Clinton because she is a woman."

And if it was a McCain versus Obama contest, it would be similar to the one being waged right now in the Democratic primary: change versus experience. "Americans are evenly divided about the candidate qualities that are most important to them: 45 percent said strength and experience, 46 percent said a new direction and new ideas."

One disturbing finding in the poll: 80 percent of African-Americans fear for Obama's safety. Twenty percent of whites expressed the same concern

A SurveyUSA poll finds a tie between Obama and McCain at 46 percent, while Clinton has a two point advantage over the Arizona senator, 48 to 46 percent.

Meanwhile a new Gallup poll shows that Americans' identification with the Republican Party is at its lowest since Gallup began conducting its surveys primarily by phone in 1988..

"An average of 27.7% of Americans identified as Republicans, based on more than 26,000 Gallup interviews in 2007. The previous low in Republican identification was 28.1% in 1999.

"Meanwhile, 32.5% of Americans identified as Democrats and 38.6% as political independents last year. The latter percentage is on the high end of what Gallup has measured in the last two decades, surpassed by only the 39.1% independent identification average from 1995. The high point for Democratic identification came in 1988, when 35.6% said they were Democrats."

9:58 AM ET | 03- 6-2008 | permalink

Comments

I am a white woman who strongly supports Obama, but I also have fears for his safety. We are not a peaceful nation and the hatred of racism is by no means gone. It is a problem for me that McCain is as old as he is, I don't favor him, obviously, but still, would be less disturbed by his being in office were he younger.

Sent by Mary Murphy | 11:04 AM ET | 03-06-2008

McCains age and his temper are HUGE factors. America has lost her heart and soul under the Bush/Cheney administration. I pray Barack Obama will save us from despair.

Sent by L. T. Geiger | 12:06 PM ET | 03-06-2008

I am very happy with Obama's success and feel that he does have a great chance of become the leader of this country. Most of all I worry about his safety and family. There are people in this country who still have not gotten past race and will not appoint an African American to an executive position such as the President of the United States. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and continue to hope for the change that Obama promises us. This country need someone with the vision and perseverance.

African American Man.

Sent by KH | 4:25 PM ET | 03-06-2008

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