Obama Lead Over Clinton Widens to 13 points in New Hampshire

Editor: Alan Gray, NewsBlaze

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby N.H. Daily Tracking Poll: Obama Widens Lead Over Clinton in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire - Democrat Barack Obama expanded his lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire to 13 points as voting began in the state's critical presidential primary, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Tuesday.

Obama continued to feed on the momentum from his performance in Iowa last week, when he scored a breakthrough win that left Clinton reeling.

Obama, a senator from Illinois bidding to make history as the first black U.S. president, led the one-time Democratic front-runner 42 percent to 29 percent. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was third with 17 percent.

"Obama is still on a roll and not slowing down. He had another big day," pollster John Zogby said.

Obama led Clinton in all categories of voters except women and voters over the age of 65, and was pulling away from the New York senator among base Democratic voters.

"This is the same thing he did in the closing hours in Iowa," Zogby said of Obama.

The rolling poll of 862 likely Democratic voters was taken Saturday through Monday. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

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

The pressure is on Clinton to revive her campaign after a disappointing showing in Iowa, and a second consecutive loss could doom her comeback.

Clinton, a former first lady, finished third in Iowa.

About 5 percent in remain undecided, according to the New Hampshire poll.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was in fourth place at 5 percent, ahead of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich at 2 percent.

The rolling tracking poll concludes with New Hampshire's voting 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.

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com