Hillary Clinton Barely Edges Sarah Palin as Most Admired Woman in Gallup Poll

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Dec 30, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Hillary Clinton Barely Edges Sarah Palin as Most Admired Woman in Gallup Poll

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 30
, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Pro-abortion Secretary of State Hillary Clinton barely edged pro-life former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a new Gallup poll asking respondents to name the woman they most admired. Clinton continued her placement atop the list but barely beat Palin 16 to 15 percent.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey and first lady Michelle Obama finish third and fourth, with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Queen Elizabeth II, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and poet Maya Angelou — all regulars on the list — joined by newcomers German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Elin Woods in the top 10.

The poll asked for people to name their first and second choice of women living today that they admired and Winfrey received 8 percent, Obama 7 percent and Rice and Queen Elizabeth 2 percent each.

Hillary Clinton has now been named Most Admired Woman 14 times since 1993, spanning her career as first lady, New York senator, and now secretary of state. The three times she has not finished first during this time, she earned second place (to Laura Bush in 2001 and to Mother Teresa in 1995 and 1996).

President Barack Obama is the landslide winner among men for the second time, with 30% of Americans naming him as the Most Admired Man this year. Obama won last year with 32%, and both totals are among the highest Gallup has measured for a winner, with George W. Bush’s 39% in 2001 remaining the all-time high for Most Admired Man.
Obama’s similar performance to last year’s is notable considering the declines in his approval and personal favorability ratings since he took office in January.

Bush finished second again this year, after winning the honor from 2001-2007.

The rest of the top 10 includes former South African President Nelson Mandela, radio and TV personality Glenn Beck, Pope Benedict XVI, the Rev. Billy Graham, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and golfer Tiger Woods.

Americans’ choices for Most Admired Man and Woman are influenced by their political leanings. Obama easily wins as Most Admired Man among Democrats and independents, but among Republicans George W. Bush ranks first, with Obama placing second.

The choices for Most Admired Woman are polarized by party, with Hillary Clinton the dominant leader among Democrats and Sarah Palin among Republicans. The two receive the same percentage of mentions from independents. Clinton still ranks among the leaders among Republicans, while Palin barely registers any mentions from Democrats.

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