Politics

Hillary Rules In N.Y. Race

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 26, 1999 / 1:32 PM EST / CBS

First lady Hillary Clinton holds an 11-point lead over New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in a hypothetical matchup for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, according to a new poll.

Talk about Mrs. Clinton running for the Senate from New York is the state's hottest and most discussed political rumor.
A statewide Marist College poll found Mrs. Clinton with a 53-42 percent lead over New York's popular Republican mayor. Six percent of those polled were undecided.

Most political observers regard it as likely that Giuliani will enter the race. Mrs. Clinton's intentions are anybody's guess.

Marist pollster Lee Miringhoff said the first lady's standing in the poll was boosted by strong support from women. Miringhoff said that Mrs. Clinton trailed in the survey among men but was so far in front among women that it put her ahead overall.

Guiliani, a former federal prosecutor, is in his second term as mayor. He is barred by law from seeking a third term.

Moynihan, a veteran Democrat, will retire from the Senate when his term expires in 2000.

In the race for president, the Marist poll found Vice President Al Gore with a narrow 48-44 percent lead over the Republican frontrunner, Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Gore led another potential GOP candidate, Elizabeth Dole, by 47-42 percent.

The telephone poll of 513 registered voters was conducted Sunday. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percent.