Thrill Is Gone in Democratic Race

The American people have had enough of the election drama between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. A Pew Research Center poll found:

Interest in what the public perceives as an excessively negative presidential campaign declined in the days leading up to the Pennsylvania primary. Just 29% of Americans say they paid very close attention to news about the presidential campaign last week, the lowest percentage recorded since December 2007. By comparison, 43% said they were following campaign news very closely during the weekend leading up to the March primaries in Texas and Ohio. Interest in the campaign has fallen among Republicans, Democrats and independents. In late February, more than half of Democrats were following campaign news very closely; that number has fallen to 38%.

Thirty-five percent think the campaign is dull, up from 25 percent in February. Fewer Americans say the campaign is "interesting," 56 percent now compared to 70 percent in February. It comes as no surprise that Democrats find the drama more interesting than do Republicans or independents.

The survey found that more people have heard about Obama's controversies, including Jeremiah Wright and Bittergate, than Clinton's phantom sniper fire or Geraldine Ferraro's racially charged comments.