posted on October 22, 2008 03:09:52 PM new
AP presidential poll: Race tightens in final weeks
Oct 22, 5:16 PM (ET)
By LIZ SIDOTI
WASHINGTON (AP) - The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running even among likely voters in the election homestretch.
The poll, which found Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 43 percent, supports what some Republicans and Democrats privately have said in recent days: that the race narrowed after the third debate as GOP-leaning voters drifted home to their party and McCain's "Joe the plumber" analogy struck a chord.
Three weeks ago, an AP-GfK survey found that Obama had surged to a seven-point lead over McCain, lifted by voters who thought the Democrat was better suited to lead the nation through its sudden economic crisis.
The contest is still volatile, and the split among voters is apparent less than two weeks before Election Day.
I trust McCain more, and I do feel that he has more experience in government than Obama. I don't think Obama has been around long enough," said Angela Decker, 44, of La Porte, Ind.
But Karen Judd, 58, of Middleton, Wis., said, "Obama certainly has sufficient qualifications." She said any positive feelings about McCain evaporated with "the outright lying" in TV ads and his choice of running mate Sarah Palin, who "doesn't have the correct skills."
The new AP-GfK head-to-head result is a departure from some, but not all, recent national polls.
Obama and McCain were essentially tied among likely voters in the latest George Washington University Battleground Poll, conducted by Republican strategist Ed Goeas and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. In other surveys focusing on likely voters, a Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Obama up by 9 percentage points, while a poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center had Obama leading by 14. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, among the broader category of people registered to vote, found Obama ahead by 10 points.
Polls are snapshots of highly fluid campaigns. In this case, there is a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points; that means Obama could be ahead by as many as 8 points or down by as many as 6. There are many reasons why polls differ, including methods of estimating likely voters and the wording of questions.
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
BTW, you can find anything you want on the Internet. That doesn't make it so. Polls mean very little when you have the republicans stealing elections. You're ranting again, Bear.
Cheryl
Whitman said she and McCain share a philosophy of scaling back the role of government. a point of view partly shaped by her EBay experience. "The EBay model is very Republican in its essence -- it's about making a small number of rules and getting out of the way while not overtaxing the community," she said.
posted on October 22, 2008 07:28:44 PM new
I'm glad the polls are tightening. The worst thing that can happen for Democrats is to be smug and assured that Obama will win the election. We need to be passionate and race to the polls. If Obama doesn't need our votes (which he does - remember the 2000 election), the local democrats do. Edited to add, thanks, Bear, for bringing this to our attention.
[ edited by pixiamom on Oct 22, 2008 08:06 PM ]
posted on October 22, 2008 10:32:47 PM new
Gallup is historically the most accurate, but most here trumpet the "overall" percentages. The key will be "most likely to vote" numbers.
posted on October 23, 2008 09:04:45 AM new
We haven't been trumpeting overall percentages for some time squirrel. We've been quoting your beloved gallup poll now for weeks. Today it gives Obama a 5 to 8 point lead.
