Obama Wins Debate Bump

Barack Obama slightly increased his lead over John McCain after last week’s debate and bad economic news, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. The Democratic candidate is up 49% to McCain's 44%, a 1% gain from last week. The results indicated less confidence among Americans that McCain will strengthen the economy and succeed in Iraq.

While McCain retained his advantage on experience, Obama ranked higher as "presidential"  by 46% of those who watched the debate, compared with 33% for McCain. McCain trailed nine points in "honesty and integrity," a marked change from last week when the two candidates were tied. Voters still trust McCain more on international issues, and Obama on strengthening the economy. (More Barack Obama stories.)