A large number of Democratic voters would change their support to John McCain in November if their currently chosen candidate were to lose the Democratic presidential nomination. A new Gallup Poll released on Wednesday shows that about 28 percent of current Hillary Clinton supporters would choose to support McCain over Barack Obama in the general election. In contrast, only 19 percent of Obama supporters would choose the Republican nominee over voting for Hillary Clinton.  

The data from the Gallup Poll suggests that a significant number of Clinton supporters are so strongly opposed to Barack Obama that they would rather vote for a Republican candidate if Obama wins the Democratic nomination. Obama supporters, however, seem more willing to support the Democratic ticket if Clinton should take the nomination.  

The Gallup Poll information lends strength to the view that the continuing divisive fighting between Clinton and Obama for the presidential nomination could hurt the Democratic party in the November elections. As the battle continues, the gap between Clinton and Obama supporters continues to widen, with more voters than ever declaring they would rather vote for the Republican alternative if their candidate is not chosen than support the other Democratic candidate.  

While the Gallup Poll notes that these results come in the "heat of battle" and there is no way to judge how many voters would follow through on their claim to switch to McCain, the poll results could give a temporary boost to Hillary Clinton.  

If it is perceived that Democratic voters are more likely to stick with the party at large if Clinton is chosen than if Obama is chosen, Clinton might gain a stronger foothold among undecided Democratic voters and possibly the all-important super delegates as well. Overall, however, the best news from the poll could be for Republican John McCain, who can possibly expect to receive a healthy dose of Democratic support in November regardless of whether he is facing Clinton or Obama.  

A recent CNN/ Opinion Research corp. Poll also showed that a higher number of Clinton supporters would be dissatisfied if their candidate dropped out than Obama supporters would be. If Obama wins the Democratic presidential nomination, 51 percent of Clinton supporters would be dissatisfied or upset, compared to 41 percent of Obama supporters if the reverse were true.  

Conversely, among Republican voters in a recent Gallup Poll, 11 percent said they would rather vote for the Democratic nominee if John McCain does not choose a vice president who is more strongly conservative than he is. Nine percent said they would not vote at all.  

Nationwide, a recent Rasmussen Reports Poll found that 22 percent of Democratic voters believe Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race. Barack Obama received an identical percentage—22 percent—who believed he should leave the race. Overall, 62 percent of polled Democratic voters believe neither candidate should drop out of the bid for the presidential nomination yet. Republican voters, however, want Clinton to throw in the towel far more than Obama, at 41 percent to 24 percent.  

Historically, according to past final pre-election Gallup Polls, only 10 percent or less of Republicans or Democrats actually vote for the other party's presidential candidate. The results of the Gallup Poll released on Wednesday are based on interviews with 6,657 Democratic voters nationwide and were conducted March 7-22. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.