Obama erases Clinton's lead in AZ poll

[ariesgem]

Jill Lawrence
USA Today
Feb. 4, 2008 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama has surged to a statistical tie with Hillary Clinton in a new USA Today/Gallup Poll, erasing a double-digit national lead she held just two weeks ago and turning the Democratic nomination race into a nail-biter.

The pair stood at Clinton 45 percent, Obama 44 percent in a snapshot of voter intent just two days before 24 states hold contests on Super Tuesday.

On the Republican side, Arizona Sen. John McCain gained 11 percentage points for a decisive 42 percent to 24 percent lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

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Obama gained 11 percentage points to erase Clinton's lead. The Illinois senator has been riding a wave of momentum since a landslide victory in South Carolina's Jan. 26 primary. He has been collecting endorsements from Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and other prominent Democrats, and in January alone raised $32 million.

Clinton, the New York senator, won the Nevada caucuses two weeks ago but has seen her lead fade. Obama has gotten more national media attention in that time. The former first lady is counting on good showings Tuesday in California, New York and other states.

"We have a strong and broad coalition that I think will give us significant delegates and victories on February 5," Clinton strategist Mark Penn said.

The poll said Obama had the highest favorable rating of the major candidates still in the race: 59 percent favorable to 32 percent unfavorable. McCain was close behind with 56 percent favorable, 32 percent unfavorable.

Clinton was even at 48 percent favorable, 48 percent unfavorable.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0204pol-poll0204.html

[MadBadger]

1. This is a national poll, not an AZ Poll