Thread: Fox News Poll: Obama leads 42% to 39% Going into Convention

FOX News Poll: Obama Leads 42% to 39% Going Into Convention
Thursday, August 21, 2008

By Dana Blanton

Days before the Democratic Convention begins, Barack Obama has a slim 42 percent to 39 percent edge over John McCain in the race for the White House, according to a FOX News poll released Thursday.

A month ago Obama led by 41 percent to 40 percent. Both leads for Obama – this month and last – are well within the margin of sampling error.

• Click here to view full results of the poll (pdf).

Opinion Dynamics Corp.conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News from August 19 to August 20. The poll has a 3-point error margin.

Obama leads McCain among women (43 percent – 37 percent), voters under age 35 years old (55 percent – 32 percent) and black voters (74 percent – 7 percent).

McCain has the advantage among white voters (44 percent – 37 percent), voters 65 years and over (42 percent – 35 percent), white Evangelical Christians (55 percent – 26 percent) and among men by just one point (42 percent to 41 percent).

Among independents, it’s a toss up: Obama tops McCain by just 31 percent to 30 percent, with 28 percent undecided and 8 percent saying they will vote for someone else. Last month, Obama had a 34 percent to 32 percent edge (July 22-23, 200.

McCain has slightly stronger backing from his party: 82 percent of Republicans support him compared to 78 percent of Democrats that support Obama.

It’s more than two months before the election and many voters are still undecided – 14 percent in this poll. To find out more, the poll asked these voters why they were unsure. Some 27 percent of undecided voters said they would like to vote for the Democrat but have questions about Obama, and 20 percent of undecideds would like to vote for the Republican but have questions about McCain.

In a hypothetical matchup, Hillary Clinton tops McCain by 46 percent to 43 percent.

Large majorities of both Obama voters (85 percent) and McCain voters (86 percent) say they are “certainâ€

There are a lot of definitions in this poll that I have to say people either call themselves something but either didn't have another choice or they really think they are a category and they aren't.

Weird.