Boosted by his handling of 9/11, Rudy Giuliani enjoys the most “emotional” support on the presidential campaign trail, according to an unusual new study released yesterday.
The “positive emotional temperature” reading gave Giuliani 136 points to 130 for Barack Obama and 124 for Hillary Rodham Clinton in a poll conducted by Adsam and Itracks, a Florida-based consumer research outfit.
The study had Giuliani comfortably ahead of Republican rivals in terms of generating favorable passion among the electorate.
Fred Thompson scored a 112, followed by John McCain with 106 and Mitt Romney with 90.
The surveyors use visual images on a scale of 1 to 9 when asking respondents to express their “emotional” views about candidates.
“Giuliani leads all candidates in terms of emotional strength,” said Adsam president Jon Morris. “To sustain a long campaign, a candidate must inspire strong feelings in voters.”
The poll found that Giuliani’s leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks aroused positive vibes from voters – even those who have reservations about him.
“A man who can handle New York can probably handle anything,” said one respondent. Another voter said Giuliani’s handling of 9/11 “was awesome and set him apart” and repeatedly called him a “great leader.”
Morris said the results call into question Romney’s viability for president. The survey found 56 percent of Republicans were either ambivalent or unexcited by his candidacy.
“Voters do not necessarily dislike him, but they are not moved by him, suggesting that voters will not likely rush to the polls in support of him,” Morris said of Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
In contrast, the survey found that nearly half of Republicans were excited about or “warmly accepting” of Giuliani.
“This is a critical finding that suggests Giuliani may have the ability to infuse energy into party that is undergoing turmoil and that has its members questioning their affiliation,” Morris said.
The analysis warns the Democratic Party of a Clinton candidacy because she is such a polarizing figure.
Twenty percent of those surveyed are “disgusted” with Clinton, double the 10 percent rate for Giuliani, according to the study.
“The negative feelings about her will inspire people to the polls just to vote against her,” Morris said.
Independent voters are enthusiastic about Obama’s candidacy, which is a stark contrast to the dislike they have for Clinton.
“Voters are excited about and drawn to the fresh perspective he brings,” the analysis said.
In other matters, Giuliani announced he raised $11 million in campaign contributions for the third quarter of the year.