http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/05/obama_outpolling_clintongallup.htmlObama outpolling Clinton:Gallup
Posted May 12, 2008 2:00 PM
The Swamp
by Frank James
Here's some news that may help the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama get through what's expected to be a difficult couple of primaries tomorrow and next Tuesday in West Virginia and Kentucky, respectively. Gallup says he's pulling ahead of Sen. Hillary Clinton in its national polling for the first time in three weeks.
Among Democratic voters, Obama has a seven-point lead, 50 percent versus 43 percent, in its polling over Clinton, Gallup said. Here's a snippet.
Although Obama did not achieve an immediate bounce in national Democratic support after last week's primary elections in Indiana and North Carolina, it could be that the subsequent political punditry, proclaiming the Clinton campaign is effectively over, is affecting voters.
Not good for Clinton, certainly. But there was still a nugget of good news for Clinton which was bad news for Sen. John McCain, the all but official Republican nominee.
With Clinton continuing to campaign hard, concerns about what the protracted Clinton-Obama battle could do to the party's chances of beating probable Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, in the fall, continue to be raised. However, according to Gallup Poll Daily tracking from May 7-11, both Democratic candidates are now beating McCain among national registered voters in Gallup Poll Daily trial heats for the fall election.
Obama leads McCain by four points, 47% to 43%. Clinton leads McCain by five points, 49% to 44%. Both leads represent the candidates' highest margins over McCain, to date, since Gallup began tracking the general election ballots in early March.
This is certainly a lifeline Clinton can use as she continues to hang in the race and hoping for Obama to stumble badly. It feeds into her argument that she has a better chance of beating McCain does than Obama does, though the difference between Obama and Clinton isn't statistically significant.