Democratic Presidential Primary Poll (October 15, 2003)

[Skinner]

Poll question: Democratic Presidential Primary Poll (October 15, 2003)

If the Democratic Presidential Primary were held today, which candidate would you support?

This poll will remain pinned to the top of the General Discussion forum until 2:30PM, Thursday, October 16.

[Skinner]

1. For comparison, here is our last presidential poll.

Here is a link to our last presidential primary poll, on July 7...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2460

[RandomUser]

41. It will be interesting to compare

and see how Clark's entry has shifted the support in DU.

[diana_wood]

78. dynamics

...it will be interesting indeed. i voted Dean.
i think we may see a lot of pull from the other candidates.
maybe more so than Dean.

[goobergunch]

2. Thank you for posting this

It's about time that we had another pinned poll.

I vote for Dean.

[Padraig18]

3. So did I n/t

[mrgorth]

91. Padraig

Fellow Irish Republican here. Nice to see I'll have a friend at my newfound forum!!

[JohnKleeb]

4. Voted for Kucinich

Already betting my predictions on what Ive seen in the past
Will be
Dean and Clark neck and neck
Kucinich
then Kerry
I think Edwards would get 5th honest.
the other 4 I have no idea.

[Padraig18]

14. I suspect you're correct

I'm not sure how OUR representations here at DU will reflect the 'real world' representations, however.

[RandomUser]

40. I agree -- n/t

no text

[pmbryant]

5. Only 5% undecided so far?

I didn't know I was in such a tiny minority.

:shrug:

Maybe undecideds just aren't bothering to vote at all.

--Peter

[janekat]

6. Doesn't look like too many people have voted...

kick

[Skinner]

8. That doesn't surprise me.

This is a very opinionated group of people. I'm not surprised that many people have already picked a candidate. But I don't think those opinions are set in stone just yet.

Keep in mind that the question specifically asks how someone would vote if the primary were held today. So people who are actually undecided may be selecting their current favorite candidate.

[pmbryant]

16. Good point

So the undecided vote is actually the 'not even leaning one way or another at this time' vote.

That's where I find myself, unfortunately.

--Peter

[absolutezero]

33. I'm not set in stone yet

I voted for dean, but come june 8th (NJ primary) that may change.

[blondeatlast]

51. That's what I did.

[Trajan]

112. ONE vote cast in granite ....

The vote in Nov 2004 AGAINST this vicious regime we call the Bush Administration .....

THAT vote is immutable ....

[TKP]

9. Undecided

I'm in the undecided. I've narrowed it down to 3, but I haven't heard enough detail from any of the candidates to decide who I want to back.

:shrug:

[Terran]

93. I'm undecided too

Still waiting to see what shakes out in the early primaries. I was solidly behind Dean, but Clark makes me wonder who's more bankable to the uninformed masses. A Clark-Dean ticket (or vice-versa) would be great, I think.

[blondeatlast]

97. I'm undecided, but I treated this as if it were the real thing and HAD

to make a decision. Kucinich for menow; in a month or so, who knows?

[mantis]

7. CLARK

Clark all the way.

[billbuckhead]

13. Clark's our answer to fake RepuKKKe heros. Dean's too elitist

I've noticed here in metro Atlanta that when Clark comes on TV at work other people turn it up. Wes seems to have captured the imagination of many independent male voters I know.

[Padraig18]

23. I've noticed similar occurrences here in IL

Not that I'm *thrilled* about it, exactly, but it is happening.

[arwalden]

10. This Week... It's Clark. Might Change Tomorrow...

... and you know how I feel about polls.

-- Allen

[Monte Carlo]

11. Kerry is still my choice.

In the long haul, I think it is Kerry that is best equipped to handle the GOP onslaught that WILL be coming for the man who gets the nod. I have nothing against Dean, but I'm not so confident in his ability to counter the monotonous right.

[The Next Guy]

12. Poor Joe

No votes for him... YET.. Dolstein, where are you? :evilgrin:

[goobergunch]

42. Welcome to DU...

but how do you know about dolstein already?

[dobak]

106. interesting....

Someone with 0 posts comes in and votes but seems to know people by name already?

Anyone else think that someone is/was making new ID's to vote more often?

[VermontDem2004]

15. Just curious

Why are doing a poll? Is DU going to endorse or a candidate or is it someother reason?

[TSIAS]

38. I don't think DU is endorsing anybody

Just a way to gauge support of the candidates. Having it pinned at the top and in other forums makes it more accessible to everybody to vote.

[Skinner]

45. I just think our members may be curious.

DU is not going to endorse any candidate.

[RetroLounge]

80. I'm pretty sure DU endorses ALL 9 candidates

just by being here.

As for a single one? No, I agree that wouldn't be right.

Thanks for the poll Skinner, and the great work you guys do.

[THUNDER HANDS]

17. I voted Kerry

Even though I'm still undecided. He's probably still the guy I'm most comfortable with.

[Bushknew]

70. So why do you post Al SharptonÕs picture?

[THUNDER HANDS]

92. that was my sig line for a few weeks

I have since changed it.

:)

[Robb]

18. Hey, all these replies...

...Well, OK, most of them... endorse a candidate! Isn't that like walking around with signs in front of a polling place? ;)

I kid, of course.

[CMT]

19. Still behind Howard Dean

but in the end will be ABB.

[BobF]

107. I'm in the same boat...

Dean says the right things. He kicked the collective asses of all of the other Democratic candidates into speaking the truth about the Chimp. Both liberals and moderates would vote for him. And he would simply mop the stage with that monkey's ass when the inevitable presidential debates are held.

But whoever the Democrats end up nominating, that is who I'll be voting for. Whatever it takes to turn the Monkey House back into the White House again!

[NNN0LHI]

20. I voted "Don't Know, Undecided, Other" as I will vote for whoever...

...the Dem nominee is.

Don

[davidinalameda]

21. Clark

:-)

[_NorCal_D_]

22. Clark!

B-)
:bounce:

[plurality]

24. Kucinich

he aint fake

[ulysses]

25. still Dean

but man, does a big part of me ever want to throw it behind DK...

[morgan2]

27. then do it

the whole unelectable thing is just perpetuated by people not even willing to say they will vote for someone in a poll. If you think he is the best choice you should at least say your going to vote for him in polls. If by the time your vote comes around and you believe it would be a wasted vote then vote for someone else.

[ulysses]

30. that's the thing, though

I'm in Georgia, and I'm trying to apply the whole strategic voting thing to the primaries. Dean, to me, is a compromise candidate, and one who has a better chance here than Kucinich.

It may well not matter much in the end anyway, in which case it'll definitely be DK.

[JohnKleeb]

32. uly same goes with me I am a Virginian

and dembones who I think is another Georgian is doing the same. Besides everyone knows Kucinich is the best and we have the most fun in defeat or victory.

[goobergunch]

44. This is why we ought to have IRV or something

For instance, my list would be:

1. Kucinich
2. Dean
3. Sharpton
4. Kerry
5. Edwards
6. Braun
7. Gephardt
8. Clark
9. Lieberman

I'm officially supporting Dean, but I'll switch to Kucinich if he qualifies for district-level or at-large delegates in either Iowa or New Hampshire.

[jiacinto]

26. Is this DU's Straw Poll

nt

[IrateCitizen]

98. Boy, you're a quick one, aren't ya Carlos?

:eyes:

YES, this is the OFFICIAL DU straw poll. :dunce:

[displacedvermoter]

28. Either Dean or Kerry, so I went undecided.

Sent money to both, as well as Kucinich. Actually think we have five or six candidates that could win.

[Sephirstein]

29. Other:

Anyone but LieberBush. (I nearly voted for Gephardt to prevent him from suffering the humiliation of having no more votes than Mr. Fundie Enabler.)

[patdem]

31. Clark WILL beat bush* unless there are SO many skeletons...

I have to give my money to Clark. VA does not have primaries, however so this is just my two cents worth. I will VOTE for any DEM...ANY DEM period!!!

[JohnKleeb]

34. we dont I had no idea

[Mairead]

35. Kucinich, of course. There's no other rational choice.

:evilgrin:

[gully]

36. DEAN!!!!

Because..."I want my country back!!!"

:smoke:

[FrenchieCat]

37. I voted for Clark, of course....

As he is the man...the one with Gravitas, moxie, charisma and diplomatic skills. The only one that speaks four languages and has ready-made international connections.

The only candidate that average Americans will feel comfortable passing the "war on terror" baton to....

The only one untainted with the partisan label that will allow meaningful liberal legislation to pass thru congress.

The only one with the skills to bring the international community to start trusting America again.

The only candidate with the power to cut the defense budget without being personally attacked.

The most appropriate for this era in our history.

[RandomUser]

39. Definitely Clark

He has the best chance to turn this nation left.

[Darth_Ole]

43. Yes, Dean in the lead!!

One thingn that I think is interesting is that a number of months ago, there was a thread like this where Dean won and someone pointed out that this isn't necessarily good because most DUers tend to be extremely liberal and DU's nominee would not win swing voters.

And again Dean is in the lead ahead of people more liberal than he. (e.g. Kucinich). Dean is a very electable candidate.

[RandomUser]

52. The comparison should be interesting

Comparing this poll to the poll referenced in the first reply of this thread. It seems Dean has slipped a bit since Clark entered.

And for someone who wasn't even in the last poll, and has only been in the race for a month, and has only unveiled one of his four major speeches -- I'd say Clark's doing rather well. Don't you?

[goobergunch]

46. For the record: As of 6:09 PM EDT 10/15/2003...

Wesley Clark                  (98 votes, 27%)
Howard Dean                  (138 votes, 38%)
John Edwards                  (10 votes,  3%)
Dick Gephardt                  (1 votes,  0%)
John Kerry                    (26 votes,  7%)
Dennis Kucinich               (63 votes, 17%)
Joe Lieberman                  (1 votes,  0%)
Carol Moseley Braun            (4 votes,  1%)
Al Sharpton                    (3 votes,  1%)
Don't Know, Undecided, Other  (17 votes,  5%)

Very interesting....Dean has a substantial lead. Where are the Clark supporters today? I'd have thought it would be closer.

[JohnKleeb]

47. It was intially close goob, I come back from Mexican dinner

and ya know.

[goobergunch]

48. Interesting....

I've gotta go do homework right now, but I'll be back in an hour or so and we'll see how things stand then.

:hi:

[Capn Sunshine]

54. Well, my theory is

This reflects the numbers here at DU. Clark supporters are not that legion but they post many many many many many many many many times daily about their guy.

I'm not into proseletizing , IMO Dean is best , but I respect all the candidates, even Clark, who
WILL MAKE A GREAT VP

[OneTwentyoNine]

49. Gad,Lieberman got a vote??? Not in my lifetime....eom

..

[blondeatlast]

50. Why was "undecided" offered? That isn't an option in the primary, is it?

Since I treated this as a "true" primary, I voted for Kucinich, but I'm still undecided.

[MaryBear]

53. One nice thing about this Primary

is that we have a pack of good candidates. (Hopefully, they will not tear each other down.) I will vote my conscience: Kucinich! And, I feel no need to hide that preference. In the General Election, and leading up to it, I will support whomever is the Dem candidate.

[IranianDemocrat]

55. Kucinich/ Nader all the way baby!

With Kucinich's 1% and Nader's 2% we are on our way to national domination!

Seriously a Kucinich/anyone campaign would make McGovern's defeat look victorious

[JohnKleeb]

63. Can you stop bashing my candiate please

Yea Kucinich/Nader too bad Kucinich contrary to your beliefs is a Democrat and has always been one, he may be to you on the left fringe but hes a democrat. Kucinich is a lot better than you may think. BTW McGovern is still one of hell of a guy after his defeat so if Kucinich loses the primary it doesnt mean hes a bad guy at all or a loser.

[IrateCitizen]

100. My, how incredibly gracious you are!

NOT!

I guess it takes real courage to throw out baseless insults to those who you do not agree with from behind a computer screen. :eyes:

Congratulations on winning the "ass-of-the-week" award!

[GOPBasher]

56. Seems like a 2-way race in DU

It seems like it's between Dean and Clark, although Kucinich is up there as well. Kerry has fallen -- maybe because of Clark?

[CMT]

57. Impressive, Dennis running a very strong third

eom.

[karlschneider]

58. My heart says Kucinich, my head says Clark but I voted with my gut Dean

what can I say?
:eyes:

[seventhson]

60. Woo-Hoo!!!??? I'm with the best man for the job???

pat yourself on the back for making a wise choice and have a guiness

[seventhson]

59. I am very pleased that so few DUers are Kerry fans

Clark is probably worse in some respects, though

The Dean supporters need to start recruiting the Kucinich supporters and bringing them into the fold.

I still like Edwards for VP.

I would vote for Kucinich if I believed he had a decent chance in the general election, but he is too far left for the majority of the electorate.

So my strategy is to block Kerry and Clark as much as possible and pull all the other supporters to Dean as they fall by the wayside.

I expect Braun, Gephardt and Kucinich to last through a few primaries and then fold (altho Sharpton and Kucinich may well stay in with no funds just to get their issues on the convention floor - which is very cool with me).


So we are fighting on TWO fronts. ONE is to attract the independents who are fed up with Bush but sick of Dems wishywashy ness.

two is to attract the leftier Kucinich/Sharpton supporters.

The way to do this is to take an active approach to those constituencies: go to the black and hispanic communities nationwide and appear with whatever celebrities will endorse Dean. START wooing the Kucinich supporters NOW.

The Kucinich supporters will NOT go to Kerry or Clark. But Sharpton supporters might.

Independents will be drawn to Clark's "independence" so Dean has to out-independent Clark and go toe to toe with him on the issues.

Clark has a LOT of negatives, like Kerry, that can be exploited. Dean has very few.

But even though independent folks despise dirty campaigns they LIKE a battle royal.

DEAN is giving ALL of them the fight of their lives. He needs to punch harder and hit body blows -- not below the belt like Kerry and Gephardt.

With Clark he needs to hit the fact that he is really a Republican militarist. Tactfully. Man to Man. Without name calling.

Go DEAN (Edwards for VP)

[Paulie]

66. Woo this Kucinich supporter to Dean?

Not bloody likely, unless he adopts Kucinich's platform.

If any of the canidates "move to the center" after the nomination, I'll lose all respect for them. The center is already far too right as it is. We need a change, not more of the same DINO.

[seventhson]

69. who else would you vote for? Everyone else whose viable is to the right of

Dean

[_NorCal_D_]

103. Nonsense.

Kerry for one is very liberal. Please take a look at his interest group ratings.

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=S0421103

[CoffeePlease1947]

95. Maybe you should team up with Rove

That is what he is trying to do. Block the candidates that can appeal to independent voters, mainly Kerry, Gephardt,Edwards, Lieberman, and Clark. That way the road is cleared for Dean, Sharpton, Braun, and Kucinich so that we don't have a shot at winning the General Election.

Mike

[blm]

99. BFEE is for deregulation. Dean is a Deregulator.

And boasted of it at the CATO Institute.

[Darranar]

61. KUCINICH!

[RummyTheDummy]

62. A little shocked Clark has run as well as he has

That bodes well when the votes in the 'outside world' start counting for real in in a few months.

[curse10]

64. Kerry

like anyone is surprised :-)

[JohnKleeb]

65. I am not

[Fight_n_back]

67. Where is my candidate?

Former Senator John Dean Clark Governor-General of Vermachusetts?

[LalahLand]

68. Sharpton in primary; Dean in GE

[jenm]

71. Since the governor cancelled the election

I might as well vote here. As a Coloradan, I'm not priveleged enough to vote in an actual primary. Costs too much. We gotta save a buck where we can.

[goobergunch]

72. As of 10:41 PM EDT 10/15/2003

Poll result                   (564 votes) 
Wesley Clark                 (163 votes, 29%)
Howard Dean                  (211 votes, 37%)
John Edwards                  (15 votes,  3%) 
Dick Gephardt                  (1 votes,  0%) 
John Kerry                    (35 votes,  6%) 
Dennis Kucinich              (102 votes, 18%) 
Joe Lieberman                  (3 votes,  1%) 
Carol Moseley Braun            (7 votes,  1%) 
Al Sharpton                    (5 votes,  1%) 
Don't Know, Undecided, Other  (22 votes,  4%) 

I'm going to bed now...see you all in the morning! :hi:

[Kahuna]

73. Kicking for the Wes Wing!

:kick:

[bluestateguy]

74. K'nich seems to gain ground in every poll

He may be #2 soon, on DU anyway, though I think he takes votes from Dean.

[Loyal]

75. Kerry

Because he's just the man.

[ShaneGR]

76. Wow, if Clark is doing this well on DU (Ultra-Lib)...

Think how he's going to do with the regular voters.

[RummyTheDummy]

77. That's what I'm thinking......

I'm pretty impressed with his numbers here. Given all the Clark attack threads on DU you'd think he'd poll in single digits. This is huge.

[jonnyblitz]

79. DLC types love him and this board if filled with them. n/t

[britpopper]

81. CLARK--Only real chance of beating Bush in 2004

Anybody who can not see the sensibility of voting for Wesley Clark in the General Election must want Bush for four more years...Kucinich is great but simply cannot gain the number of votes across this country needed for the win (Dukakis)...Dean possibly could do it, but is regarded as a goofy ex-governor with too much money, not a strong tag for your average democrat...CLARK embodies all that any fine democrat could ever want, intelligence, honor, trust, service, leadership, you name it, the man has it, even the looks! He is not just a pretty face with no substance but the best of both worlds, read his books and listen to his speeches, he was not #1 in his West Point class for nothing. Thirty-four years in the US Army and he still feels that war is not the solution, talk about one who didn't get brainwashed! Don't get me wrong, whichever Democrat wins the nomination, I will be 100% behind, but for all our sakes, it should be CLARK...

[DemExpat]

86. Well said, britpopper, and welcome!

Clark is the MAN....

:kick:

DemEx

[RummyTheDummy]

101. Uh, not really. (NT)

NT

[_NorCal_D_]

105. I like Clark,

and I don't consider myself a 'DLC type'.
:eyes:

[CWebster]

94. unless

the Clark camp is calling in recruits to 'freep' the poll. ;-)

[OKNancy]

102. anyone of the "camps"

could do the same thing, but doesn't one have to have so many posts to be able to cast a vote?

[Sephirstein]

82. I count 3 Republicans so far...

lol

[whirlygigspin]

83. what happened to Gephardt?

(I never spell his name right)?

This poll does not bode well for ole Gep.

[imax2268]

84. Well..I'm still for...

Dean...although Clark has gained some popularity with me I'm still a bit leary of him...I am going to keep my eyes on him and see how things pan out...!

[CWebster]

85. What is most significant

and most overlooked is how kerry's numbers have tumbled.

Clark is the Schwartzenegger figure in all this with media buzz, slick sacharine pr, DLC designed policy, macho sophistication, corporate backers and no substance. A manufactured product with a suspect agenda behind it: to staunch the momentum of the Dean candidacy--the most popular choice of the Democratic base.

[NicRic]

87. Clark, Best chance for a win !

I know that Dean has alot of support here at DU ,however I believe if he is picked to run against bush ,the Dems will lose ! Why do I believe this ,the repugs will easily paint Dean as being to liberal, something they cannot pin on Clark .Also security is high on the list of priorities, with Clarks milatary record ,he has bush beat by far on how to correct the mess in Iraq. Powell has been a disappointment to say the least ! Then there is the shallow American voter that will look at things like who looks more like a President should.Again Clark on a stage debating bush will fit that sterio type, Dean just does not ! I dont like this fact ,however its a consideration when it comes to getting bush out in 04 .

[CWebster]

88. priorities

To nomonate the candidate that will appeal the most to Republicans or to mominate the candidate who most represents Democratic party issues and presents them with the leadership that appeals to all?


DLC strategy has muddied the water on what matters most to our party---standing behind who and what the Democratic party represents with conviction or conforming our image to mold to Republican party preferences to sidestep their dirty tactics?

Why not formulate our own stand to counter their failures instead of being the victim of their attack dogs?

[goobergunch]

89. As of 8:16 AM 10/16/2003....

Poll result                  (705 votes) 
Wesley Clark                 (211 votes, 30%) 
Howard Dean                  (254 votes, 36%) 
John Edwards                  (18 votes,  3%) 
Dick Gephardt                  (2 votes,  0%)  
John Kerry                    (51 votes,  7%) 
Dennis Kucinich              (123 votes, 17%) 
Joe Lieberman                  (3 votes,  0%) 
Carol Moseley Braun            (7 votes,  1%) 
Al Sharpton                    (9 votes,  1%}
Don't Know, Undecided, Other  (27 votes,  4%)

[goddess40]

90. I'm the MeetUp for Dean host for my area so guess who I voted for

But I will vote for whom ever gets the nod.
Hopefully we will actually meet in Nov. the venue they had picked for us was out of busines. When I met the person in charge of the meetups for the state I let her know of our problem and that's when I became the host.

[TKP]

96. Candidates

Here's my take.

There are 6 candidates I consider to be DOA:

Edwards
Gephardt
Kucinich
Lieberman
Sharpton
Mosely-Braun


I'm not sure Edwards could win North Carolina again. Besides that, I'm not very fond of trial lawyers and I think cozying up to them has hurt our Party.

Gephardt has the experience, but as long as he's been in Washington, I guarantee you he has a mountain of skeletons.

Kucinich is a choice of many of the hard-core more left-leaning Democrats, and I understand why, but he's going to play right into the hands of those who will claim he's soft on national defense. Besides that, his record as Mayor of Cleveland leaves a lot to be desired. I also believe that a lot of Kucinich voters will go Green if he isn't the nominee.

Lieberman is a nice guy, the conscience of the Senate, but he's not a vary forcful candidate, which makes him appear less than confident, something that the people generally want to see in a President.

Sharpton is quite a interesting character, but with the Twana Brawley thing and several other comments he's made in the past, he would be toast.

Mosely-Braun is someone I don't believe ever stood a chance. She has a tainted past, too.

That leaves:

Clark
Dean
Kerry

Clark is a little hard to read at this time. He has the military experience, which would diffuse questions regarding Democrats and national defense. But he just recently registered as a Democrat, and he has in the past given glowing reviews about the war in Iraq that might turn off much of the base. Hard to tell at this point if he's not just the new "flavor of the month."

Dean carries a good balance between the harder left-wingers in our Party and those that are more moderate or conservative. Definately a populist message that speaks well with the Party. Good speaker, exeudes confidence, can rally the crowds. But if he is the nominee, kiss the Southern states goodbye. Can the Republicans paint him as another McGovern? Good chance they can.

Kerry has military experience, Senate leadership, intelligence. His wealth could turn off some of the base, and he would need to answer for his votes on the war, which so far he's not doing very well. Like Dean, he's dead in the South. The guy's stiff as a board when he talks, nothing about him inspires you to him. Even the votes here on this poll shows that he doesn't energize the base.

So at this point I'm still undecided.

Any chance we can get Socks or Buddy to run for office? ;-)

[Kamika]

104. man only 780 votes ater 2 days..

That really sucks imo, why doesnt everyone vote. Surely we have more then that active

[Capn Sunshine]

111. 2.4375%

Yeah, that's about the percentage of active posters here out of 32,000.......

[paulk]

108. I think it's fascinating

on a board (DU) that most would describe as liberal or even leftist, the great majority are voting for two candidates that could easily be described as moderate or even centrist/right.

Can someone explain this to me? Is it that people, at the bottom line, vote for politicians and not political positions ?

[Kamika]

109. ppl vote for whos electable

Id LOVE kucinitch but there is no way America would elect him so im a strong "Deanist"

[CMT]

110. you're using the same argument that Dean opponents use

against Howard Dean (who I also support). If DK is nominated he can win. Any of our candidates could imo. Kucinich proves it by winning in his "Reagan Democrat" district every two years.

[Skinner]

113. Final vote

Poll result (817 votes) 
-----------------------
Howard Dean....................303 votes, 37% 
Wesley Clark...................242 votes, 30% 
Dennis Kucinich................135 votes, 17%
John Kerry..................... 56 votes,  7%
Don't Know, Undecided, Other... 33 votes,  4%
John Edwards................... 23 votes,  3%
Al Sharpton.................... 10 votes,  1%
Carol Moseley Braun............  8 votes,  1%
Joe Lieberman..................  4 votes,  0%
Dick Gephardt..................  3 votes,  0% 

I'm locking this thread. Thanks for participating.