A Chicken In Every Pot . . . With Forks Stuck In Each

One thing you want to avoid if you’re running for president is negative polling showing you would lose handily in virtually any head-to-head hypothetical matchup:

Mayor Bloomberg would lose the presidential vote in key states and even in New York City were he to run, according to a SurveyUSA poll commissioned by WABC. Despite his strong approval ratings in the city — currently 73% according to Quinnipiac University — Mr. Bloomberg would be able to claim, in his best scenario, 28% of the vote in a three-way race between Senator Obama and Michael Huckabee, losing easily to Mr. Obama. He fares even worse in other hypothetical match-ups, securing only 18% of the vote against fellow New Yorkers, Senator Clinton and Mayor Giuliani, and 21% against Ms. Clinton and Senator McCain.

Mr. Bloomberg faces hurdles in key states as well, maxing out at 16% of the vote in neighboring Pennsylvania, according to the poll. In California, which has more electoral votes than any other state and would likely be critical to a presidential victory, he does no better than 12%. The survey finds that one in four national voters do not know who Mr. Bloomberg is, and that only 11% have a favorable impression. No more than 13% say they would vote for him in a presidential election.