The latest Pew Research polling looks good for Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani - and bad news for those of you hoping for Chuck Hagel to jump into the race.
Former Sen. Fred Thompson has broad potential appeal among Republican voters even before his expected entrance into the presidential race. Thompson is not nearly as well known as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani or the other leading GOP candidates. But 37% of the Republican and Republican-leaning voters who have heard of Thompson say there is a "good chance" they will support him. This is equal to the level of support Giuliani receives from GOP voters who have heard of him, and reflects far more enthusiasm than any of the other Republican candidates garner.
On the other end of the scale, 62 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters surveyed by Pew who had heard of Hagel, the anti-war Republican Senator from Nebraska, said there was "no chance" they would vote for him. Only 43 percent of those surveyed had heard of him, the lowest among candidates included in Pew's survey.
Though Rep. Ron Paul wasn't included in Pew's survey, Hagel's numbers don't bode well for the anti-war Republican congressman. Most Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters prefer presidential candidates who want to vigorously prosecute the war on terror, not run from it. That's why Giuliani, Thompson and John McCain all have "no chance" numbers below 30 percent.
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