Dems want Hillary

June 6, 2008
CNN Poll: Majority of Dems want Clinton to be VP
Posted: 11:54 AM ET

From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser



WASHINGTON (CNN) — A majority of Democrats think Barack Obama should select Hillary Clinton as his running mate, according to a new national poll.

Fifty-four percent of registered Democrats questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Friday think Obama should name his rival as his running mate, with 43 percent saying no. The poll is the first national survey conducted since Senator Obama (D-Illinois) claimed the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night following the end of the primary season. Senator Clinton, D-New York, is expected to suspend her campaign and back Obama in a scheduled address Saturday. (View full poll results [PDF])

It seems men and women don’t see eye to eye on this question, with 60 percent of Democratic women saying Clinton should be named as Obama’s running mate. Only 46 percent of male Democrats agree, with 51 percent of them saying no. (WATCH: Panelists weigh McCain, Obama's VP options)

“What do women want, Sigmund Freud famously asked. The answer appears to be Clinton on the ticket. It’s pretty clear that many Democratic women are miffed and that Obama has to be very careful how he deals with Senator Clinton,” says CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider. (WATCH: The war over women voters)


If Obama names someone else as his running mate, 24 percent of those polled say Clinton should try to override that decision at the Democratic convention in Denver in August, with 75 percent saying no.

"Democrats would like Barack Obama to choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate, but they seem to recognize that it is his choice to make," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Some will be disappointed if Obama does not pick Clinton, but not disappointed enough to want a floor fight at the convention."

The survey also found that the economy remains issue number one in the minds of Americans. Forty-two percent of those polled say that the economy will be the most important issue in the decision on the presidency. Iraq remains in second place in importance, at 24 percent, with health care at 12 percent.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted Wednesday and Thursday, with 921 registered voters, including 435 registered voters who describe themselves as Democrats or independents who lean Democratic. The sampling error for most results is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.