California race on knife-edge

2008-02-05 09:15

Los Angeles - Surging support for Barack Obama has left California's "Super Tuesday" Democratic primary on a knife-edge, with one-time runaway leader Hillary Clinton now nervously looking over her shoulder.

Less than a week ago, Clinton had opened up a 17-point lead over Illinois senator Obama in Los Angeles Times/CNN opinion polls carried out amongst Democratic voters ahead of the contest.

Both Obama and Clinton have campaigned aggressively in California in the final days before the vote, anxious to secure the hundreds of delegates on offer in the nation's most populous state.

A total of 370 delegates of the 2 025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination are up for grabs on Tuesday, making California a cornerstone of any successful nominating contest. Unlike the Republican contest, independent voters may participate in the Democratic primary.

Neck-and-neck

Obama now appears to have made huge inroads into Clinton's once-wide lead as election day looms, with a new California Field Poll released on Sunday showing the two candidates neck-and-neck.

Clinton now leads Obama by 36% to 34%. But with 18% still undecided the race is now too close to call, according to pollsters.

"Obama's support has been increasing steadily, while support for Clinton has been relatively stagnant," the Field Poll concluded.

Obama's campaign was buoyed over the weekend by the high-profile endorsement of state first lady Maria Shriver, a member of the influential Kennedy clan, just days after her husband, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, had backed Republican John McCain.

- AFP