In a Zogby International poll released March 15, 2008, Nader received 6% of the vote in a McCain-Clinton-Nader race and 5% in a McCain-Obama-Nader race. According to pollster John Zogby, a self-described Democrat, "Nader’s presence in the race can potentially turn a lulu of a race into an absolute tizzy. The messages to Democrats are clear – number one, Nader may win enough support to get into the general election debates. Number two, what could be at risk is support among several key constituencies that the Democratic Party candidate will need to win in November, notably younger voters, independents, and progressives.” [13] However, according to pollster Mark Blumenthal, such an effect is overstated. [14]

A Lansing-based EPIC-MRA poll concluded that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would perform better against Republican John McCain among Michigan voters than Democrat Hillary Clinton. In the poll, taken April 4-9, 2008, presidential candidate Ralph Nader received 10 percent of the vote in the hypothetical McCain-Clinton election. McCain received 46 percent of the vote to Clinton's 37. In the McCain-Obama situation, conversely, Nader received 8 percent, while Obama led McCain 43 to 41 percent, leaving the Obama victory unaffected. [15]

A mid-September 2008 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found that Nader has the support of 4 percent of those polled, with Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney each at one percent.[16]

After the election became a contest between Obama and Clinton, Nader hinted more towards his own presidential bid by participating in the Green Party Presidential Debates in San Francisco on January 13, 2008, though not as an announced candidate. Then he formed a presidential exploratory committee on January 30, 2008, telling CNN he would run again if he could raise the necessary funds.[9]