Obama widens lead over McCain, thanks to the economy
Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll
As election day nears, Barack Obama leads John McCain 50% to 41%. Only 10% say the country is on the right track. Still, the Democrat has not broken the race open.
With fear about the economy driving voters his way, Barack Obama has broadened his lead over John McCain and strengthened his hold on key groups both candidates are courting, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
Three weeks before election day, Obama leads McCain 50% to 41% among voters likely to cast ballots on Nov. 4. In September, the Illinois Democrat had a narrower 49%-45% lead.
In the weeks between the two polls, the nation's economy teetered toward collapse, and the poll demonstrated the shattering effect of that upheaval on the nation's voters. Only 10% now feel the country is heading in the right direction -- the lowest figure since the poll began asking the question in 1991. Eighty-four percent said the country is on the wrong track.
Nearly 7 in 10 cited the economy as the most important issue for the presidential candidates to solve -- the figure was 4 in 10 in September -- and Obama was the clear beneficiary. Voters saw him as more trustworthy than McCain on the economy and better able to handle a financial crisis.
Obama improved sharply over the last month among independent voters, a much-desired bloc. McCain carried them by a 15-point margin in September; in this poll, Obama led among that group by five points. Men, too, moved toward Obama, with the traditionally Republican-leaning group now in his camp. He also maintained his lead among female voters.
"He's got more in mind of what the country needs right now, and I just think he would be a better leader than McCain," said Betty May, a resident of Ironton in hard-fought southern Ohio. May, a Democrat, spoke in a follow-up interview.
For McCain, there were slight improvements over the last month among older voters and white working-class voters, and he has maintained an edge over Obama on Iraq and foreign affairs. But his overall level of support declined, in part because his dramatic decision to vault a little-known Alaska governor onto the ticket appears to have backfired.
More than a quarter of voters said they were less likely to vote for McCain because Sarah Palin was his running mate, somewhat more than the 22% who said she made them more likely to vote for McCain. In September, however, Palin drew more voters in than she put off.
Almost half of voters said she was not qualified to be president, while 43% said she was. In contrast, 76% said Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden was qualified. Palin is the least popular of the four campaign principals, with 43% of voters expressing a "positive" impression of her.
