A Presidential Picnic

Many Americans will be breaking out their grills this Memorial Day, spending time at picnics and barbecues with family, friends and a big helping of potato salad. But, if voters could chat with one of the presidential frontrunners from each political party at their Memorial Day picnic, who would they choose?

A Quinnipiac University survey conducted earlier this month has the answer.

Out of the Republican leaders -- Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson -- more would seek out Rudy Giuliani for a chat than the other candidates. Giuliani has a clear edge among Republican voters, 41 percent chose him, while 26 percent prefer McCain, 21 percent Thompson, and nine percent Romney.

On the Democratic side, a third of Democratic voters would like to have a grillside conversation with Hillary Clinton, and about a quarter each would want to talk to Barack Obama and Al Gore. Fourteen percent chose Edwards.

Neither Democrats nor Republicans are particularly eager to talk to a candidate from the other side of the aisle --nearly a quarter in each party said they didn't know who among the candidates from the other side they would choose.

Among those who chose a candidate of a different political stripe with whom to chat, more Republians picked Obama from the Democratic side than the other candidates (37 percent), while Democrats split their picnic-conversation vote between Giuliani (31 percent) and McCain (29 percent).

Independents pick Obama from the Democrats (34 percent) and Giuliani from the Republicans (35 percent).

More information about the Quinnipiac University survey can be found here.