The 2008 election is shaping up thus far as a contest between two well-liked candidates. The latest figures we have are a 64% favorable rating for Barack Obama and 59% for John McCain. Obama's is the highest Gallup has measured for a presidential candidate in mid-June of the past four presidential election years, and McCain's also ranks as one of the best.
So the high intensity and highly front-loaded primary process seemed to have worked from the standpoint that most Americans like the options the parties put before them, apparently much more so than in recent election years.
As of mid-June, one in three Americans had a favorable opinion of both candidates, much higher than what Gallup found at similar points in the 2004 (17%), 2000 (24%), and 1996 (24%) election years.
Usually, as the campaign wears on, favorable ratings tend to move toward the 50% mark, so it will be interesting to see where Obama and McCain are in late October/early November. But if those forces are no stronger in 2008 than in prior election years, we may well have a significant percentage of Americans who would be equally satisfied with the election of either candidate.
