Republicans Undecided on Best Candidate to Handle Most Policy Issues, Poll Says

According to a new Gallup Panel survey, Republicans voters can't come to a consensus on which Republican presidential candidate would be best prepared and able to handle issues facing the next president. Of the four leading Republican candidates survey responders were choosing from, Rudy Giuliani seemed to come off best, receiving good ratings on the issues of crime, terrorism, race relations, being able to inspire Americans, healing divisions with other countries, the economy, and energy and the environment. The candidate considered best able to handle the duties of being commander-in-chief is John McCain. The other two choices, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney, were not chosen as the best candidate in any particular area.

Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents were asked to choose which of the four leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination would be best suited to dealing with each of seventeen major national challenges. Giuliani leads in seven of those categories, however, nine issues show no candidate with a convincing lead. This is in stark contrast to a similar poll conducted with Democrat voters, where Senator Hillary Clinton was chosen as the best candidate to handle almost all of the seventeen issues.