Thompson Catches Giuliani in GOP Race

As per CNN.com:

September 11, 2007
Thompson catches Giuliani in GOP race
Thompson is in a statistical dead heat with Rudy Giuliani, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Five days after he officially jumped into the Republican race for the White House, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson finds himself in a statistical dead heat with frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Tuesday.

The former New York City mayor garners 28 percent nationally among registered Republicans while Thompson is only one point behind at 27 percent — well within the poll's 5 percentage point margin of error. In a similar poll taken in August, Giuliani registered 29 percent while Thompson, then not yet an official presidential candidate, was at 22 percent. (See full poll results [PDF])

CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider notes, "Thompson has the edge among evangelical Republicans and especially among his fellow southerners — that's where Thompson has made the biggest gains."

Specifically, Thompson now holds the advantage among men, southerners, older voters (age 50 and over) and ideological conservatives. Conversely, Giuliani leads among women, voters in the Northeast and Midwest, younger voters (under 50) and self-described GOP moderates.

While the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows a statistical dead heat, other recent national polls indicate Giuliani continues to hold a lead over Thompson. A CBS/New York Times poll released Monday showed Giuliani with a 5 point lead over Thompson, 27 percent to 22 percent. Meanwhile, a USAToday/Gallup poll out Monday has Giuliani with a 12 point lead, 34 percent to 22 percent.

Arizona Sen. John McCain comes in a distant third at 15 percent, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney close behind at 11 percent. McCain was at 16 percent in the August poll while Romney registered 12 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee now stands at 5 percent, while no other Republican candidate pulls more than 2 percentage points. The poll surveyed 318 registered Republicans from September 7-9.

Rest of article is here.


Interesting. Fred's in the race for one week and he catches Rudy. And, this is before they really began to go at one another seriously. I think everything is in flux on the GOP side. And what does Fred's entry mean to Flipping Mitt?