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Poll: Race Tightens Up

Obama leads McCain by 5 points, down from 8

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 21, 2008 7:32 AM CDT

(Newser) – The presidential race is tightening, with Barack Obama leading John McCain 51% to 46% among likely voters, down from an 8-point gap, a CNN/Opinion Research Center poll shows. McCain’s boost may be linked to a drop in the number of people who think he’ll continue President Bush’s policies —49% compared with 56% in an Oct. 3-5 poll, reports CNN.

Some 53% of those polled believe Obama is stronger on the financial crisis, compared with 38% for McCain. Obama is seen as better for the middle class, with 63% saying he’s better equipped to help it, almost twice McCain’s 32%. A CNN poll of polls shows the Illinois senator maintaining a 6-point lead in the race, 50% to 44%.

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Florida supporters of Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. attend a campaign rally, Monday, Oct. 20, 2008, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

John McCain supporters wave signs in front of students waiting to get into a Bill Clinton rally for Obama at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Supporters of both candidates stand in the rain near the site of the presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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It looks like McCain has convinced growing numbers of Americans that his policies would be different than Bush. The next task is to convince voters that his policies would be better than Bush's. - Pollster Keating Holland

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Poll: Race Tightens Up