Republican support for presidential candidate John McCain has dropped by more than 11 percentage points since early February, according to the Web site Real Clear Politics.
The senator from Arizona now receives the support of 15 percent of Republicans, down from 26.4 percent 20 weeks ago, according to the Web site, which averages the results of major opinion surveys.
Although he has always trailed GOP front-runner Rudy Giuliani in national polls, McCain slipped to third place in recent weeks behind former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who has not even officially declared his candidacy.
McCain spokesman Matt David said the campaign was not alarmed by the polls.
“This is a marathon and not a sprint,” he said. “We’re still six months away from when the first votes will be cast. The polls are going to continue to go up and down and we’re going to continue doing what we started doing months ago, which is building a strong infrastructure that can go the distance and win McCain the nomination.”
McCain is running third in Iowa, site of the nation’s first caucus, behind front-runner Mitt Romney and Giuliani, who is in second place. In New Hampshire, site of the nation’s first primary, McCain and Giuliani are tied at nearly 10 points behind Romney, according to Real Clear politics.
Six months ago, McCain routinely received more than twice the support of Romney in both New Hampshire and Iowa.
