Clinton Drops to 3rd in Last Poll

A new poll conducted hours before the Iowa caucus gives a surging Barack Obama a 4-point lead over John Edwards, with Hillary Clinton slipping to third place. The Reuters/Zogby poll puts Obama at 31% support among likely Democratic caucus-goers, with Edwards polling 27% and Clinton 24%. Among Republicans, Mike Huckabee held a six-point lead over nearest rival Mitt Romney.

"There is a clear Clinton fade," said pollster John Zogby. The New York senator lost ground to Obama among Democrats (as opposed to independents, who may attend either party's caucus) and liberals, although 5% of Democratic caucus-goers remain undecided. Zogby insists the race is still too close to call, however, as Edwards polled only slightly below the margin of error. (More Barack Obama stories.)