USA: Republican Presidential candidate John McCain leads his Democratic counterpart Barack Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent

Record ID: 166957

  • Title: USA: Republican Presidential candidate John McCain leads his Democratic counterpart Barack Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent
  • Date: 21st August 2008
  • Summary: UTICA, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 20, 2008) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN ZOGBY, POLLSTER, SAYING: "If I were Barack Obama, I'd be concerned right now, Democrats generally get better marks on handling the economy and you have a self described Republican candidate in John McCain who has said on a few occasions the economy is not his strong suit. Last month Bara
  • Embargoed: 5th September 2008 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
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  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACXOQ8XHT38PJ2JAYBP0O2BMHY
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday (August 20).
    The reversal follows a month of attacks by McCain, who has questioned Obama's experience, criticized his opposition to most new offshore oil drilling and mocked his overseas trip.
    The poll was taken Thursday through Saturday as Obama wrapped up a weeklong vacation in Hawaii that ceded the political spotlight to McCain, who seized on Russia's invasion of Georgia to emphasize his foreign policy views.

    "A solid core of Obama's base just raising some questions about him. For liberals the perception that may be he's flip flopped on some key issues like FISSA (Foreign Intelligence and Security Services -- US Defense Intelligence Agency) and a sense that for young people especially that may be he's not the unique different sort of persona that they expected,"
    pollster John Zogby said.
    "He's also lost ground among conservatives and Catholics as well. Meanwhile John McCain by punching and punching hard against Obama during a slow period Obama was away on vacation and has been fairly quiet. McCain has gained points particularly among conservatives."
    McCain now has a 9-point edge, 49 percent to 40 percent, over Obama on the critical question of who would be the best manager of the economy -- an issue nearly half of voters said was their top concern in the Nov. 4 presidential election.
    That margin reversed Obama's 4-point edge last month on the economy over McCain, an Arizona senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war who has admitted a lack of economic expertise and shows far greater interest in foreign and military policy.
    McCain has been on the offensive against Obama during the last month over energy concerns, with polls showing strong majorities supporting his call for an expansion of offshore oil drilling as gasoline prices hover near $4 a gallon.
    Obama had opposed new offshore drilling, but said recently he would support a limited expansion as part of a comprehensive energy program.
    That was one of several recent policy shifts for Obama, as he positions himself for the general election battle. But Zogby said the changes could be taking a toll on Obama's support, particularly among Democrats and self-described liberals.

    "If I were Barack Obama, I'd be concerned right now, Democrats generally get better marks on handling the economy and you have a self described Republican candidate in John McCain who has said on a few occasions the economy is not his strong suit," Zogby said.
    "Last month Barack Obama had a slight edge on who was better to handle the economy by 4 points and in a month it is John McCain by 9 points. I'd be terribly concerned by that because likely barring anything unforeseen the economy is the meta issue of this campaign."
    Obama's support among Democrats fell 9 percentage points this month to 74 percent, while McCain has the backing of 81 percent of Republicans. Support for Obama, an Illinois senator, fell 12 percentage points among liberals, with 10 percent of liberals still undecided compared to 9 percent of conservatives.

    "We have the brand versus the personality questions. If a Democrat were running against a Republican, a Democrat would win this election and win it big. The difficulty is it's two personalities running against each other and there are questions about both," Zogby said.
    The dip in support for Obama, who would be the first black U.S.
    president, cut across demographic and ideological lines. He slipped among Catholics, born-again Christians, women, independents and younger voters. He retained the support of more than 90 percent of black voters.
    Obama's support among voters between the ages of 18 and 29, which had been one of his strengths, slipped 12 percentage points to 52 percent. McCain, who will turn 72 next week, was winning 40 percent of younger voters.
    It made little difference when independent candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr, who are both trying to add their names to state ballots.
    McCain still held a 5-point edge over Obama, 44 percent to 39 percent, when all four names were included. Barr earned 3 percent and Nader 2 percent.
    Most national polls have given Obama a narrow lead over McCain throughout the summer. In the Reuters/Zogby poll, Obama had a 5-point lead in June, shortly after he clinched the Democratic nomination, and an 8-point lead on McCain in May.
    The telephone poll of 1,089 likely voters had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
    The poll was taken as both candidates head into their nominating conventions and the announcements of their choices of vice presidential picks.
    The Democratic convention begins on Monday in Denver, with the Republican convention opening the next Monday, Sept. 1, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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