User:John J. Bulten/Straw polls for the Democratic Party 2008 presidential nomination
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Numerous straw polls were held for the Democratic Party's 2008 United States presidential nomination. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead all Democratic candidates in total straw poll victories.
The following sections collect local-event-based public straw polls where American voters selected among Democratic candidates. In event-based polls, like the election itself, public response is generally widely solicited for a particular event or registration process; the sample represents only willing, eligible people who become aware of the process through advertising and choose to enter, and sometimes an event fee is paid. By contrast, in demographic polls (such as the Democratic opinion polls), through a private random selection process, a subset of the target public is chosen as statistically representative, and individual responses are solicited, generally by phone; the sample represents only willing, eligible people from a statistical cross-section of the voter base. Demographic polls are regarded as more statistically accurate pictures of public opinion, while straw polls provide important interactive dialogue among movements, reflecting trends like organization and motivation.[1][2]