Hillary, Rudy leaders of the pack

A new poll from the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State University ahows that Sen. Hillary Clinton, with overwhelming support among women and non-white voters, holds a commanding lead in the California Democratic Party primary, while former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barak Obama are tied in a distant second.

Amid a more divided field, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads in the
California Republican Party primary while actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, not
yet formally in the race, has edged his way to second place, with a statistically insignificant lead
over Arizona Sen. John McCain. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney trails far behind.

Meanwhile, President George Bush’s approval rating among Californians remains near
historic lows, driven by corrosive dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, a staggering lack of
credibility and deep pessimism about the direction the country is headed. For GOP candidates in
California, Bush is no asset.