Voters Lean Towards More Divided Government In Early 2008 Election Polls

Early polls for the 2008 elections strongly suggest that the voters lean towards more divided government. While Rudolph Giuliani currently leans all three major Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards in polls, both Edwards and Obama show a potential to make the race at least close at this point according to recent polls.

But the Democrats do stand a decent opportunity to knock off even more incumbent Republican senators in 2008 according to recent polls in Oregon and New Hampshire. Republican Senator Gordon Smith is currently trailing poosible Democratic opponent Representative Peter Defazio by a 42 to 38% margin. This is remarkable because Smith has proven a recent more moderate voting record including his recent opposition to the Iraq War and support for social programs such as opposing cuts to the Food Stamps program. In New Hampshire, incumbent Senator John Sununu is in even worse condition trailing former Democratic Governor Jeanne Sheehan by a serious 44-34% margin.

In Texas, Senator John Cornyn, and in Minnesota, Norm Coleman are slipping below a 50% voter public approval threshold and could even be vulnerable in 2008 as well.

The question is whether the public likes a divided government to provide checks and balances, or whether the current strength of Rudolph Giuliani while some other Republicans are on the skids is an indiuvidual phenomenon or subject to later fluctuation or not.