Clinton preferred over Giuliani in US race: poll

WASHINGTON: Democrat Hillary Clinton would beat Republican Rudolph Giuliani in the race for the US presidency if the election was held now, according to poll data released on Thursday.

Senator Clinton, wife of ex-president Bill Clinton and the strong front-runner for the Democratic nomination for next year's election, held a 51-43 percent margin over Giuliani in a Washington Post-ABC News poll.   

The poll showed Democrat voters favoring Clinton over Giuliani by 88-9 percent while independents were for Clinton 48-44 percent. Republican voters preferred Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, 88-10 percent. The poll also showed that two-thirds of voters believe Clinton would take the country in a different direction compared with her husband during his 1993-2001 presidency, with most considering that 'a good thing.'   

Another Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Wednesday showed Clinton was the solid favorite for the Democrat nomination in the November 2008 election. She held a 33 point lead over her closest rival, fellow Senator Barack Obama. Giuliani, meanwhile, leads most polls in his party's race, but is more closely dogged by rivals Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.