WASHINGTON – The GOP is seeing the first signs that it’s made some nicks in Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political armor in a new poll that shows her support dropping dramatically.
The poll from RasmussenReports.com, which has surveyed Clinton’s presidential hopes every two weeks over the last year, found that support for her presidential ambitions has hit rock bottom – less than a week after GOP chief Ken Mehlman called her too “angry” to be president.
Now just 27 percent say they’d definitely vote for her – down seven points from the start of the year – and 43 percent say there’s no way they’d cast a ballot for her, an eight-point uptick in the past month.
Pollster Scott Rasmussen, who accurately forecast the outcome of the 2004 White House race, said Clinton’s support has plummeted among men and party faithful. This poll is the latest in a trend of weakening support for her White House hopes. She now has a 47 percent unfavorable rating, and 45 percent of respondents say she’s a political liberal.
Those are the two key points GOP strategists are aiming to expand in the eyes of voters in America’s heartland – the Midwestern states that will likely swing the election in 2008.
They say using national talk shows – starting with ABC’s “This Week,” where Mehlman blasted Clinton – is the perfect platform: It’s seen by Middle America voters, it drives follow-up media coverage, and it’s free.
“This is about targeting people important in a presidential race – people in Iowa and Ohio,” one strategist said.
“As 2008 gets closer, she’ll have to go to the left to win. We’ll try to roll her further in that direction,” one GOPer told The Post.
“She’s been talking moderate, but she has a liberal voting record – and we’ll point that out and why she’s trying to hide from it.”
But don’t expect the White House or its GOP machine to exact too much flesh from Clinton in her 2006 Senate race – unless GOP hopeful John Spencer, the former Yonkers mayor, sees a spike in the polls. They’re keeping their focus – and resources – outside the liberal Northeast.
GOP gurus say Spencer is focusing more on building himself up rather than tearing Clinton down, touting his lifelong New York ties, his credibility and his decorated Vietnam service.
And they say Spencer will accuse Clinton of looking past her Senate seat toward a plush chair in the Oval Office.
Spencer also doesn’t want to risk the appearance of White House involvement’s whipping up Clinton supporters. When The Post revealed last week that Karl Rove had sent an emissary to meet with Spencer – a courtesy call requested by Spencer – the Clinton camp packaged it in a fund-raising appeal to her supporters.
By the numbers
Here are the responses to last week’s poll on Hillary Clinton’s political future.
If Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2008, would you . . .
* Definitely vote for her: 27%
* Definitely vote against her: 43%
* Depends on who’s running against her: 23%
Rating:
* Favorable: 38%
* Unfavorable: 47%
How likely is she to be the Democratic nominee:
* Very likely: 27%
* Somewhat likely: 32%
* Not very likely: 20%
* Not at all likely: 12%
Source: RassmussenReports.com Feb. 7