WASHINGTON — Democrat Barack Obama has made strides in convincing Americans that he can handle the toughest challenges facing the country, including the financial meltdown and international crises, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey taken after Friday's presidential debate.
The poll of registered voters who watched the first showdown in Oxford, Miss., also showed a slight increase in Obama's lead over Republican John McCain.
The Illinois senator extended his advantage to 49% to 44%, compared with last week, when the same respondents gave him a 48% to 45% edge.
Obama's incremental advance, which followed a week in which McCain controversially inserted himself into the congressional debate over a $700-billion market bailout, tracked with larger gains Obama made among debate-watchers in showing himself ready for the Oval Office.
Obama's youth and relative inexperience have long been a vulnerability, and one that McCain tried to exploit at the debate Friday.
Though more voters still see McCain as more knowledgeable, Obama was seen as more "presidential" by 46% of debate-watchers, compared with 33% for the Arizona senator.
The difference is even more pronounced among debate-watchers who were not firmly committed to a candidate: 44% said they believed Obama looked more presidential, whereas 16% gave McCain the advantage.
The Republican candidate also has lost ground on several measures of voter confidence, including trust.
After the debate, 43% of registered voters who saw the event said Obama had more "honesty and integrity," compared with 34% for McCain. A week ago, the same voters were evenly divided, with each candidate winning the trust of 40% of respondents.
Voters are also less confident than a week ago that McCain will strengthen the economy and less convinced he cares about voters like themselves.
The Times/Bloomberg poll surveyed 448 registered voters who had participated in a poll a week earlier and who watched the debate. The poll was conducted by telephone Friday evening through Sunday. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The shift in perceptions captured by the poll almost certainly was shaped by more than Friday's debate.
In the last week, McCain has labored to respond to the deepening crisis on Wall Street and fend off news reports about his advisors' ties to failed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
