McCain, Obama in Dead Heat: Poll

Gains among white women give GOP momentum

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2008 4:24 AM CDT

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McCain, Obama in Dead Heat: Poll — John McCain picks out four bottles of salsa and waits to pay for them at El Pinto restaurant for himself and Sarah Palin at a recent campaign stop. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

The John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket has all but wiped out Barack Obama's lead, according to a Washington Post/ABCNews poll. White women voters now back McCain by a 12% margin, a sharp change from Obama's 8% edge among the same voters before the conventions. They view McCain as being better able to handle the economy.

Among the poll's other findings:

Party support has solidified behind both candidates, with 88% of Republicans backing McCain and 85% of Democrats now behind Obama.
McCain is leading among independents for the first time, 50% to 43%.
Sarah Palin enjoys a 58% popularity rating, ahead of Joe Biden at 51%.
A slim majority—51%—said they were following the race "very closely." That's higher than four years ago and more than double the number keenly following the race at this time in 2000.

(More Washington Post ABC poll stories.)

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