By Elliott D. Petty

Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to hold a commanding lead in the California Democratic Party primary contest, while former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama are tied in a distant second.

In the clearly more divided GOP field, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads in the California Republican Party primary as actor and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has edged his way past Arizona Senator John McCain for second standing.

Keep in mind, Thompson has yet to formally declare any intention to run for President of the United States.  Making matters worse for republicans is that President George Bush's approval rating among Californians remains near historic lows, wiping away any chance of picking up the state for the first time in a generation.  Not that I'm complaining about the low prospects for the elephants.

State by state polls elsewhere provide different ratings for both parties.