It's basically a dead heat. Considering that the whole country already knows who McCain is, and Obama is still relatively new to the scene, this is amazing. The more people hear about Obama, the more they love him.
From Fox News:
NEW YORK — Illinois Senator and possible 2008 Democratic contender Barack Obama holds his own in a hypothetical matchup against the current leading Republican contender Arizona Sen. John McCain. McCain continues to have a small edge over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head matchup between the two frontrunners.
According to a new FOX News poll, Obama receives the backing of 38 percent of voters and McCain 41 percent, with the remaining 21 percent undecided.
Almost as many Democrats say they would vote for Obama (69 percent) as Republicans say they would vote for McCain (73 percent). Independents split their vote 34 percent Obama and 36 percent McCain.
Women give a 4-percentage point edge to Obama, while McCain has a 10-point lead among men. Whites are somewhat more likely to vote for McCain (+13 points) and nonwhites are more likely to back Obama by over 40 points.
Click here for the poll archive
"Obama is the ‘new’ product on the market and the real test is whether he can survive long scrutiny," says Opinion Dynamics Chairman John Gorman. "However, John McCain would also be getting his first ‘front-runner’ start. Furthermore, he has gotten a lot of favorable press as the alternative to George W. Bush. It is harder to predict how he would do standing alone.
