Voters who have served in the U.S. military favor John McCain over Barack Obama by a 56% to 37% margin.
This data, from a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, is based upon interviews with 3,000 Likely Voters, including 588 voters who have served in the military. Voters with no military service favor Obama 50% to 43%.
The survey was conducted July 21-23 while Obama was on an overseas tour that included Afghanistan and Iraq. Overall, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll showed Obama leading 48% to 45% (with leaners) over those three days.
But a separate survey also found that 63% of Americans do not believe the stopovers in the two war-torn countries made the Democratic candidate any more qualified to be president.
The same survey also found that less than a third (32%) thought Obama learned from his trip to Iraq, while 40% said his mind was already made up about how to deal with the war there.
Obama on Tuesday at a press conference in Jordan defended his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq over a 16-month period. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, with whom he met, opposes a timeline of any kind, but Obama wants to put more forces in Afghanistan.
In the new survey, 61% of military veterans have a favorable opinion of McCain while 46% say the same about Obama. Thirty-seven percent (37%) have an unfavorable opinion of McCain while 51% offer an unfavorable opinion of Obama.
Twenty-four percent (24%) of veterans have a Very Favorable opinion of the GOP candidate while 17% hold a Very Unfavorable view. The numbers for his Democratic opponet are 27% Very Favorable and 36% Very Unfavorable.
Veterans also prefer Republicans by 10 percentage points on the Generic Congressional Ballot. Those without military experience favor Democrats by a 48% to 32% margin. Overall, Democrats lead by nine percentage points on the Generic Congressional Ballot.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) of veterans say that economic issues are most important in Election 2008 while 29% cite national security issues. For those without military service, 47% see the economy as most important and 21% say national security.
While those with a military background favor McCain, that’s not the case for those with immediate family members in the military. There is no significant difference between the views of those with military family members and those without.
Among those with close friends or relatives serving in Iraq, 44% favor McCain and 44% prefer Obama. Obama leads by seven among those who don’t have a close friend or relative in Iraq.
Obama has not served in the military. McCain, a Navy combat pilot in the Vietnam War, was shot, imprisoned and tortured in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” for six years.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
This data, from a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, is based upon interviews with 3,000 Likely Voters, including 588 voters who have served in the military. Voters with no military service favor Obama 50% to 43%.
The survey was conducted July 21-23 while Obama was on an overseas tour that included Afghanistan and Iraq. Overall, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll showed Obama leading 48% to 45% (with leaners) over those three days.
But a separate survey also found that 63% of Americans do not believe the stopovers in the two war-torn countries made the Democratic candidate any more qualified to be president.
The same survey also found that less than a third (32%) thought Obama learned from his trip to Iraq, while 40% said his mind was already made up about how to deal with the war there.
Obama on Tuesday at a press conference in Jordan defended his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq over a 16-month period. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, with whom he met, opposes a timeline of any kind, but Obama wants to put more forces in Afghanistan.
In the new survey, 61% of military veterans have a favorable opinion of McCain while 46% say the same about Obama. Thirty-seven percent (37%) have an unfavorable opinion of McCain while 51% offer an unfavorable opinion of Obama.
Twenty-four percent (24%) of veterans have a Very Favorable opinion of the GOP candidate while 17% hold a Very Unfavorable view. The numbers for his Democratic opponet are 27% Very Favorable and 36% Very Unfavorable.
Veterans also prefer Republicans by 10 percentage points on the Generic Congressional Ballot. Those without military experience favor Democrats by a 48% to 32% margin. Overall, Democrats lead by nine percentage points on the Generic Congressional Ballot.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) of veterans say that economic issues are most important in Election 2008 while 29% cite national security issues. For those without military service, 47% see the economy as most important and 21% say national security.
While those with a military background favor McCain, that’s not the case for those with immediate family members in the military. There is no significant difference between the views of those with military family members and those without.
Among those with close friends or relatives serving in Iraq, 44% favor McCain and 44% prefer Obama. Obama leads by seven among those who don’t have a close friend or relative in Iraq.
Obama has not served in the military. McCain, a Navy combat pilot in the Vietnam War, was shot, imprisoned and tortured in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” for six years.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
