New Iowa Poll: Obama widens lead over McCain (54/37)

[jefferson_dem]

New Iowa Poll: Obama widens lead over McCain

By THOMAS BEAUMONT • [e-mail] • Copyright 2008, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company • November 1, 2008

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has strengthened his advantage in The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll, establishing a commanding lead over Republican John McCain heading into Tuesday's election.

Obama has widened what was a solid lead in the Midwestern swing state, and has strengthened his position on key leadership traits since the Register's September poll. Meanwhile, support for McCain and perceptions of his abilities have slipped despite several campaign appearances in the state this fall.

Obama, an Illinois senator, was the choice of 54 percent of likely voters, while McCain, an Arizona senator, was the choice of 37 percent.

The poll of 814 likely voters, taken Tuesday through Friday by Selzer & Co., came at the close of a key stretch of the fall campaign. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

During the seven weeks since the last Iowa Poll, the candidates met for their three nationally televised debates as the nation's financial crisis turned the candidates' attention almost exclusively to the faltering economy.

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http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081101/NEWS09/81101014&theme=CAMPAIGN_2008

[HughMoran]

1. kick!

Good stuff!

[gizmo1979]

2. WI Too

Just saw the new Badger poll Obama by 16.

[CoffeeCat]

3. McCain and Palin have been all over Iowa...

This past week, they've made three stops in Iowa.

The more they are here, the more they're polls tank.

Maybe they need to come back here once more--just to widen Obama's lead to 30 or so points.

[sarahdemva]

4. sounds good!!

[Jennicut]

5. Iowa has been Obama's for a long, long time.

Don't see that changing.

[fujiyama]

6. Haha, and McCAin kept saying this state would be close

[Marsala]

7. But Rick Davis said they were "dead even" in internals...

Would Rick Davis lie to us? Would he? :-( :-( :-(

[ladjf]

8. It's too late now, but, McCain should have hired some first rate

statisticians to verify the efficacy of his "slim ads". They would have told him much earlier that they are exactly counter productive.

[DrToast]

9. It's worth noting that Selzer & Co. is a really good pollster

538.com ranks them as the most accurate.

And they have consistently shown larger margins of victory for Obama than other pollsters.