Well, we’re only eleven-and-a-half months away from the 2008 elections, and as we’ve come to expect, the political news and blogs are becoming awash in polling numbers.
Via Donklephant, I came across a Rasmussen poll notable because of it’s inclusion of potential third-party candidates:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found Hillary Clinton leading Rudy Giuliani by three percentage points in a four-way race that includes Ron Paul running as a Libertarian candidate and Ralph Nader representing the Green Party. The poll shows Clinton earning 42% of the vote while Giuliani attracts 39%. Ron Paul is the choice for 8%, Ralph Nader is preferred by 4% and 7% are not sure[...].
A recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that comedian Stephen Colbert attracted 13% support as a third-party candidate.
I’d be interested on what the polling would indicate if Bloomberg were thrown into the mix. (I realize that he’s been pretty adamant about not running, but still it would be interesting to see the numbers.)
And, the idea of Colbert potentially being a kingmaker or a spoiler in a Presidential campaign both amuses and disturbs me greatly. Perhaps Colbert loyalists could be convinced to get Colbert cleared at least as a legitimate write-in candidate in a few states, just to add to the expected circus atmosphere of the political arena next year?