In Missouri, Giuliani Beats Clinton & Obama, But Not Edwards

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani defeats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in head-to-head match-ups in the race for President in Missouri --but not John Edwards, according to a new package of polls out by SurveyUSA.

There's a treasure trove of intriguing numbers inside the SurveyUSA poll, (to my knowledge) the first publicly released presidential poll in the Show-Me state.

Here are the head-to-heads:

Rudy Giuliani 48%
Hillary Clinton 45%

Rudy Giuliani 50%
Barack Obama 42%

Rudy Giuliani 43%
John Edwards 48%

So just looking at that, the question needs to be asked: Would John Edwards be the strongest Democratic Presidential candidate in Missouri?

• Giuliani 48%, Clinton 45% . . . Going inside the numbers, against Clinton, Giuliani holds a commanding 12-point lead with men. He beats Clinton by 7 points among independents. He pounds Clinton among conservatives. But note that Giuliani picks up 18% of self-described "liberals," not insignificant in such close contest. In the Ozarks, Giuliani beats Clinton 49%-43%. Hmm, didn't Claire get 43% in the Ozarks. Is that the magic number for Dems to win in Missouri?
• Giuliani 50%, Obama 42% . . . This kind of surprised me a bit. I would've thought Obama would've played better than Hillary in Missouri. But Giuliani not only beats Obama handily among men, he fights to a draw among women. The youngsters go with Obama (18-34), but Rudy's edge among the rest of the voters is too much for Obama to handle. Even 31% of blacks go with Rudy. Giuliani's crossover appeal is key. He gets 28% of Democrats and a third of liberals. Giuliani even edges out Obama in St. Louis by 2 points. And in the Ozarks, it's a slam dunk. 60%-34%, Rudy.
• Giuliani 43%, Edwards 48% . . . This makes sense, talking to Democrats around here. They just love Johnny Edwards. True, Giuliani bests Edwards in the Ozarks. But only by 3 points. If a Dem can stay that competitive here, the state is theirs for the taking. Edwards wins over females against Giuliani and that makes a difference. Edwards is also able to beat Giuliani among the senior crowd (55 & over). Edwards ties Giuliani among white voters, and does better than Obama with blacks. Edwards easily wins independents and moderates, and he wins a key constituency in gun owners.

So would McCain fair better or worse against the top 3 Dems? What about the Missouri G.O.P's golden boy, Mitt Romney?