A new Rasmussen poll now gives Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a healthy lead in his Republican primary, after having previously been in a tight race with his potential right-wing opponent, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth.
The numbers: McCain 53%, Hayworth 31%, and Minutemen activist Chris Simcox with 4%. Back in November, McCain was barely edging out Hayworth by a 45%-43% margin, with Simcox also at 4%.
From the pollster’s analysis: “For McCain, the GOP Primary appears to be his biggest challenge since no major Democrats in the state have stepped forward yet to run against him. Still, 74% of likely GOP Primary voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of McCain, a figure that has not changed since November. Hayworth’s favorable ratings are down nine points to 58%. Perhaps more significantly, the number with a Very Favorable opinion of McCain has jumped 10 points since last fall to 45%.”
