A new CBS News/MTV/New York Times (talk about your avis of evil) poll of 17- to 29-year-olds finds that there is interest in the Democratic front runners among America’s youth. Not only that, but according to National Journal’s PollWatch, they are already paying attention to an election that’s still nearly a year and a half away.

Democrats may have more reason to be optimistic this time around, because 58 percent of prospective young voters said they are paying at least some attention to the 2008 presidential election. And 54 percent of young voters polled said they would vote for a Democratic presidential candidate over a Republican if the election were held today. Just 32 percent said they’d side with the GOP.

Although a whopping 45 percent said they’re not enthusiastic about any candidate, the Democratic Party’s two front-runners — Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama — were the only two names to garner a respectable amount of enthusiasm at 17 percent and 18 percent, respectively, in an open-ended question. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) was a distant third with just 4 percent saying they were enthusiastic about his candidacy, and six other candidates received less than 3 percent.

When it comes to the candidates’ messages, it’s the economy the youngest voting bloc most wants to hear about: Twenty-three percent said economic issues are their No. 1 priority in the presidential race, followed by the war in Iraq at 20 percent and education policy at 15 percent. In general, however, 18 percent said the war is the “most important issue” facing people of their generation, and 32 percent said it’s the biggest issue for the country as a whole — the top slot in both questions.