US:Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is a political powerhouse in her own party but Rudy Giuliani is far more palatable to US voters, according to one of the largest voter surveys conducted on the 2008 field.
Ms Clinton denies she's a polarising candidate, but the poll of 3,000 registered voters by the Pew Research Center did little to counter that perception.
A massive 88 per cent of Democrats have a favourable impression of the former first lady - and nearly four in 10, very favourable - by far the highest rate for any candidate. But 81 per cent of Republicans don't like Ms Clinton - with only 19 per cent expressing approval.
By contrast, Mr Giuliani fares relatively well with Democrats, earning a 47 per cent favourable rating. While 84 per cent of Republican voters like him, party stalwarts are still sceptical, with only 21 per cent of Republicans saying they strongly support him.
Ms Clinton is tied with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney with the highest negative rating at 45 per cent. Giuliani's disapproval number is up to 35 per cent.
Carroll Doherty, the poll's associate director, says Republican primary voters are generally positive about Giuliani but not bowled over. "There's an intensity gap in their support," Doherty said.
"It's not news that Hillary is such a polarising figure, but it's surprising that Democrats are so enthusiastic about her . . . With Rudy, voters are generally positive but the intensity's not there."
Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards do better than Ms Clinton on overall favourability, at 64 and 61 per cent, respectively, but lack the support she generates among party stalwarts.
Mr Edwards opened a fresh attack on Clinton last Thursday, urging New Hampshire voters to reject "nostalgia" for Bill Clinton's presidency.
"We have got to chart a new course," he told a crowd in Hanover. "Those wedded to the policies of the '70s, '80s, or '90s are wedded to the past - ideas and policies that are tired, shop worn and obsolete . . . The problem with nostalgia is what we tend to do is, you only remember what you liked and forget the parts that you didn't like."
The former North Carolina senator didn't mention Clinton by name, but he left no doubt he was condemning Clinton-era politics when he said the Lincoln bedroom should not be "for rent".
"It's not just that the answers of the past aren't up to the job that we face today. It's that the system that produced them was corrupt and is still corrupt. It's controlled by big corporations, the lobbyists they hire to protect their bottom line, and the politicians who curry their favour and carry their water."
Edwards delivered the speech on the Dartmouth College campus, at the start of a four-day, 750-mile bus tour through New Hampshire, which holds the nation's first primary in January.
Obama, who trails Clinton in national polls by 15 to 20 per cent, has also been targeting the New York senator more directly in recent days.