Logistics professionals appear to be divided about who should lead our country for the next four years. But one thing is certain—they will strongly consider the state of the U.S. economy when casting their votes in November's presidential election.
In an exclusive poll of 853 readers conducted by DC VELOCITY in early January, 43 percent of the survey respondents listed the economy as the single most important topic in determining their vote for president. The war on terror was next on the list (16 percent), followed by the candidate's stance on U.S. immigration policy (11 percent) and the Iraq war (9 percent).
It's no surprise that the economy topped the list. About six out of 10 DC VELOCITY readers expressed concern about the U.S. economy, saying it was in fair condition or worse (including 16 percent who classified it as poor). Only 2 percent believed the economy was in excellent condition, while 37 percent said it was in good condition. Those results were slightly more positive than those of a recent Gallup poll, in which 25 percent of the survey respondents said the economy was in good shape and 27 percent described conditions as poor.
When it comes to determining the next president, logistics executives are looking at a four-man race. Democrat Barack Obama was the top vote-getter with 15 percent of the votes, while Republicans John McCain and Mike Huckabee were in a dead heat for second place, each collecting 14 percent. Republican Mitt Romney came in fourth at 12 percent. The poll was conducted on Jan. 7, one day before the New Hampshire primary, which was won by McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton. However, Clinton collected just 6 percent of the votes in the DC VELOCITY poll.
Editor's note: This issue went to press prior to the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries. Some of the candidates may have dropped out of the race by the time this article appears in print.
