Poll: Rudy Giuliani Leads Fred Thompson Among Republican Voters

The latest Diageo Poll asked 604 registered Republican voters who they thought had the best chance of defeating the Democratic nominee. Time is moving very fast and it is just a bit over four months before the beginning of the primary season. Former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani gets a significant amount of support across the board. He has a 10% lead over the number two position with 27% while former Senator Fred Thompson has 17%. Looking at the different demographic groups, Giuliani leads Thompson among evangelicals by 26% to 16%. He also leads among conservatives by 27% to 20%.

The voters who believe that abortion should be banned completely also give Giuliani a large lead, with 26% for him and 20% for Thompson.

When it comes to the question as to which Republican has the best chance to defeat the Democratic nominee, Giuliani once again is in the lead with 38% compared to 14% for Thompson. He is also viewed as having the best chance to defeat Hillary Clinton. In this head to head match up, 38% say he has the best chance and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is in second place with 13%/

However, in spite of the across the board support Giuliani has some places where he is vulnerable. One group where the poll indicates he may be in trouble is the 35% of the Republican votes who classify themselves as very conservative. When they polled this group, Giuliani and Thompson are in a virtual tie, with Thompson at 23% and Giuliani at 21%. This group also views Thompson as the candidate who represents what the Republican Party stands for, giving him 19% and Giuliani 12%. They also view him as the one who represents what the Republican Party should stand for with Thompson at 27% and Giuliani at 17%.

Another place where Giuliani has trouble is with the 38% who say they would like to see more of a choice in candidates. Most surprisingly, 41% of the voters who support Giuliani want to see more of a selection as do 35% of John McCain supporters and 23% for Romney supporters.