Hillary Clinton Opens Presidential Bid

In general election tests, she led McCain 50 to 45 percent and was roughly even with Giuliani, with 49 percent to his 47.

More than half the respondents, 54 percent, gave Clinton a favorable rating, while 44 percent viewed her unfavorably. Giuliani, at 61 percent, had a higher rating, but McCain and Obama were both somewhat lower -- 49 and 45 percent, respectively. A quarter of those surveyed had no opinion about Obama and 16 percent had no opinion about McCain.

Sixty-one percent of Americans gave her husband, former president Bill Clinton, a favorable rating.

The poll also suggested that the New York senator may be less damaged by her position on the war than some analysts have suggested. Among Democrats who say the war is the most important issue facing the country -- the overwhelming percentage of whom oppose the war -- Clinton's favorable rating is 76 percent, almost identical among all Democrats, and she wins the support of 43 percent of that group, compared with 18 percent for Obama.

Clinton has more potentially serious problems in some of the early states where the nomination fight will begin. She trails either Edwards or Obama in recent polls in Iowa and has a much more fragile lead (or, in at least one case, is in second place) in New Hampshire. That is one reason campaign advisers want to get her to Iowa and New Hampshire as quickly as possible.

She will appear publicly in New York this afternoon, and will answer questions from voters during live online chats Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Her first trip to Iowa, whose caucuses will kick off the nomination contest, will come next weekend.

Polling Director Jon Cohen and political researcher Zachary A. Goldfarb contributed to this report.