Obama In Virtual Dead Heat with Clinton in New Hampshire

Editor: Alan Gray, NewsBlaze

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby N.H. daily tracking poll: Obama has pulled into virtual dead heat with Clinton in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire - Democrat Barack Obama has pulled into a virtual dead heat with Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire two days before the state's presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Sunday.

About half of the polling in the four-day tracking survey was conducted after the Iowa caucuses last Thursday, when Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee sailed to easy wins in the opening test of the U.S. presidential campaign.

Obama, an Illinois senator vying to be the first black president in U.S. history, pulled within one point of Clinton in the state's Democratic race - a statistically insignificant lead. The poll had a 3.4 percentage point margin of error.

Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, led Obama 31 percent to 30 percent, with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards at 20 percent.

Before Iowa's caucuses, Clinton led Obama by six points.

"We are seeing clear movement in Obama's direction and away from Hillary Clinton," pollster John Zogby said. "There isn't much time for her to regroup here."

The rolling poll of 844 likely Democratic voters was taken Wednesday through Saturday, before back-to-back debates by candidates on Saturday night.

New Hampshire's primary on Tuesday is the next battleground in the state-by-state process of choosing Republican and Democratic candidates for November's election to replace President George W. Bush.

The state is vital to efforts by Clinton to revitalize her campaign after a disappointing showing in Iowa.

Zogby said Obama had been helped by the preference of independents, who can vote in either party's primary, to participate in the Democratic race.

McCain, a Republican Arizona senator, won New Hampshire during his failed 2000 presidential bid with the help of substantial independent support.

This year about 40 percent of independents expect to vote in the Democratic primary and only one-quarter in the Republican contest, Zogby said. "Obama seems to be gaining ground among independents."

About 6 percent of Democrats remain undecided, according to the New Hampshire poll.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was in fourth place at 7 percent, ahead of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich at 3 percent.

The rolling tracking poll will continue each day until New Hampshire's vote on Tuesday. In a rolling poll, the most recent day's results are added while the oldest day's results are dropped in order to track changing momentum.

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