Many Syracuse University students agree with a recently released poll that found the majority of registered New York state voters think Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will not be able to secure the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election.

The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion’s poll, titled ‘Hillary Clinton’s re-election prospects and more,’ was released on Jan. 30.

‘Hillary Clinton is the odds-on favorite in her re-election bid (for the Senate), but faces a skeptical New York audience for a presidential run,’ the poll reported.

The poll stated 54 percent of New York state’s registered voters said they would definitely vote to re-elect Clinton to the U.S. Senate in 2006.

Sam Eschenbrenner, president of the College Democrats and a New York voter, said he would vote to re-elect Clinton.

‘She has been a good, progressive, Northeastern Democrat,’ Eschenbrenner said. ‘Also, she has not taken advantage of her status as a celebrity as others might have done.’

Eschenbrenner said Clinton has worked hard to address upstate interests that are often forgotten about. He said Clinton met with Irish business leaders to encourage them to open up operations in Buffalo.

According to the poll, 54 percent of New York voters rate the job Clinton is doing as senator as either excellent or good.

Tiffany Damick, president of the College Republicans and a New York voter, said she disagrees with Clinton’s high approval rating in the poll.

‘I don’t like a lot of her tactics regarding legislative procedures,’ Damick said. ‘I do think she has a lot of good ideas, but I don’t like how she goes about getting them done.’

Damick said there are so many reasons why she would never vote to re-elect Clinton that she doesn’t know where to begin, describing Clinton as both bipartisan and pessimistic.

Chip Bigness, a freshman member of the College Democrats and a New York voter, said that he would vote to re-elect Clinton to the Senate.

‘I think she gets things done,’ Bigness said. ‘People respect that.’

Brent Perry, a sophomore member of the College Republicans and a New York voter, said she has done a good job within the state, but disagrees with her on national security issues and the war in Iraq. He said he would not vote to re-elect her.

The Marist poll reported 59 percent of New York state voters think Clinton will run for president in 2008, but 62 percent of respondents think if she does run, it is unlikely she will be elected.

Both Eschenbrenner and Damick said they agreed with the poll regarding Clinton’s presidential chances. They said while they think Clinton will most likely try to attain the Democratic nomination for president, it is unlikely she could win it.

‘She is far too polarizing of a figure,’ Eschenbrenner said. ‘Too many people dislike her.’

Damick and Eschenbrenner also said if Clinton were to win the Democratic nomination, she most likely could not win the presidency.

‘I think if Clinton won the Democratic presidential nomination, it would bode very well for the Republican party,’ Damick said. ‘People who don’t like her would probably vote for the Republican candidate by default.’

While the poll focused on Clinton’s prospects of re-election to the Senate in 2006 and a possible Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, it also covered other political issues, such as President George W. Bush’s approval rating in the state of New York.

Only 34 percent of New York voters rate the job Bush is doing in office as either excellent or good.

‘Thirty-four percent is depressingly high,’ Eschenbrenner said. ‘I am sad to hear that.’

Damick said she does not agree with such a low approval rating, but she understands why it is so low.

‘I think President Bush is in a hard point in his presidency,’ Damick said. ‘I think Iraq has a lot to do with it. People are focusing on bringing the troops home. I don’t think people realize the good Iraq will eventually bring.’

The poll surveyed 854 registered voters and was conducted Jan. 24 through 26, 2006.

Polling took place by phone in proportion to the voter registration in each county in New York, according to the published poll results.

Published on February 2, 2006 at 12:00 pm