A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows more people are interested in the presidential campaign than were at similar times in 2003, 1999, 1995, 1991, and 1987. But not a lot more people. Twenty percent of those surveyed by Pew say they are following the race very closely; that number was 13 percent in 2003 and 16 percent in 1999. As for individual candidates, there are apparently a lot of Americans who can’t name one, especially on the Republican side:
Overall, 81% of the public can name a Democratic candidate unprompted, with 78% volunteering Clinton’s name and 62% Obama’s. By contrast, 59% could name any Republican candidate. Giuliani is the best known Republican candidate, with 45% of the public naming him.
It’s a slight surprise that Giuliani would be recognized by more people than John McCain, given McCain’s name recognition from 2000, but it’s more surprising that the order of best-known GOP candidates is Giuliani, Romney, Thompson, and then McCain. McCain remains a well-known man; perhaps this number suggests that people think he’s no longer in the race (he’s in fourth place in candidate recognition even among Republicans), which would be quite grim news from his perspective.