Both candidates consolidating support
Monday, 3 November 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama's lead over Republican rival John McCain firmed marginally to six points with support for both candidates steady before Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Sunday.
Obama leads McCain by 50 per cent to 44 per cent among likely voters in the three-day national tracking poll, up from a five-point advantage on Saturday. The telephone poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
"There are two full days to go before Election Day and obviously anything can happen, but it is hard to see where McCain goes from here," pollster John Zogby said.
He said the polling data over the weekend showed that both candidates appeared to be consolidating support among their core supporters -- women and independents for Obama, older voters and conservatives for McCain.
National opinion polls all give the lead to Obama, who also appears to be outflanking McCain in a number of the battleground states that will end up deciding the election.
McCain spent Saturday campaigning in Virginia and Pennsylvania -- states that electoral strategists regard as crucial to his hopes for victory -- while Obama pushed for an advantage in three states that went for President George W. Bush in 2004: Nevada, Colorado and Missouri.
Obama leads McCain by 50 per cent to 44 per cent among likely voters in the three-day national tracking poll, up from a five-point advantage on Saturday. The telephone poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
"There are two full days to go before Election Day and obviously anything can happen, but it is hard to see where McCain goes from here," pollster John Zogby said.
He said the polling data over the weekend showed that both candidates appeared to be consolidating support among their core supporters -- women and independents for Obama, older voters and conservatives for McCain.
National opinion polls all give the lead to Obama, who also appears to be outflanking McCain in a number of the battleground states that will end up deciding the election.
McCain spent Saturday campaigning in Virginia and Pennsylvania -- states that electoral strategists regard as crucial to his hopes for victory -- while Obama pushed for an advantage in three states that went for President George W. Bush in 2004: Nevada, Colorado and Missouri.