2008 State Polls

Ron Paul Supporters Choose Mike Huckabee Second

August 15, 2007

There was an overwhelming response from Ron Paul supporters. That strength has been typical for online polls so far this year.

Two observations stand out about the response of the Paul supporters.

1. In the pre-August polling, nearly half of the Paul supporters were unwilling to state an alternate choice. That ratio has dropped precipitously, to less than 25 percent. I consider this to be an imprtant score in ranked choice polls, because it shows the extent to which voters are comfortable as "team players" within their party. My preliminary conclusion is that Paul supporters are starting to learn more about which other candidates can satisfy their most pressing concerns.
2. Among those Paul supporters who do provide a 2nd choice, there's been a dramatic shift: Mike Huckabee has lept past Tom Tancredo. Newt Gingrich and Duncan Hunter also make showings.

Of course, this poll isn't "scientific." Participants in online polls are a self-selected group. But the results to speak to the energy of a candidate's constituency. Just as some candidates have an advantage in the money race, some show their strength online. Other signs that tell how the race is going include the turnout at public rallies, the shifting judgments of the chattering class, and the elbow-throwing among the candidates themselves.

Though Paul continues to do extremely well in Republican online polls for now (in fact, dominating many of them), I believe this is likely to change by the end of the year. Interest in online straw polling will probably get a significant boost from showcase projects like the MySpace primary. The publicity will prompt other campaigns to mobilize more participation.

For now, frankly, turnout is so low that the results can be said to provide a little more that snapshot of the thinking within a few relatively isolated corners of cyberspace.

Still, the Paul supporters may represent the avant-garde of a movement toward a more vibrant, representative, and even authoritative online democratic community.

To see if this is right, I've started a series of weekly polls called the "Tuesday Tracker." It will be open for 28 hours, from 11 PM Monday night till 3AM Wednesday EST.

Current ChoiceRanker.com Polls - Show Your Support

• Republican Poll
• Democrat Poll
• Unity08 Poll
  

Craig Simon
ChoiceRanker.com

Who gets your vote in 2012?

Barack Obama (BO)	Mitt Romney (MR)
Email:

Traffic During 2008 Election

2008 Election Results - Presidential

2008 Predicted Electoral Math

2008 Democratic Primary Results

2008 Republican Primary Results

2008 Independent Candidates

Nader	Bob Barr
McKinney	Baldwin

Latest Presidential Tracking Polls 2008

Election Polls