Mac's Health an Issue in Poll

Voters worry about age more than race or gender, survey finds

(NEWSER) - GOP contender John McCain would lose to either Democratic candidate if the match-up were held today, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Adults nationwide would choose Barack Obama over McCain by 12 percentage points; Hillary Clinton would beat the Republican by six points. Though McCain has eight months to gain ground, he appears to be a hard sell to many independent and moderate voters. More»

What to watch for as the clock ticks on

(NEWSER) - Tonight’s election promises to end before bedtime, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be drama. Nate Silver breaks down which polls close when, and what to watch for.

• 6pm: Indiana and Kentucky: Usually these get called red right away, but this year Indiana is a toss-up.
• 7pm: Virginia, Georgia, and most of Florida and New Hampshire: We’ll get an idea how accurate polls are; Virginia is extremely important

But tightening Pennsylvania polls provide lone bright spot

(NEWSER) - John McCain is hanging by a pretty thin thread, writes statistics guru Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com, and that thread is Pennsylvania. Two polls show a slight narrowing in Keystone country; one shows Obama’s lead down to 10 points, while another, right-leaning poll puts it at 5. But with no other good news for the Arizona senator yesterday, his overall win percentage probability fell to a new nadir of 2.8%. More»

Dem's triumph in strip set for next week; some papers dismayed

(NEWSER) - Cartoonist Garry Trudeau has put his newspaper clients in to a bit of a pickle, the Washington Post reports. In a bid to stay current, Wednesday’s installment of "Doonesbury"—written a week in advance—will show characters reacting to a Barack Obama victory. The choice is “a rational risk assessment,” Trudeau said. Replacements are being made available to papers who’d rather not chance it. More»

Americans reassured by "risky" candidate's cool performance

(NEWSER) - To many pundits, the debates are forgotten, a thing of the past—but it’s quite possible they are the key to Barack Obama’s dominance in the polls, writes Robert G. Kaiser in the Washington Post. Before the debates, Obama was seen as a risky unknown. But having seen his performances, “Americans find Obama more empathetic, stronger, better prepared to be president and just more sympathetic” than they did before. More»