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Polls show tight race
03/02/2008 18:56 - (SA)
Washington - New opinion polls on Sunday showed a tightening Democratic race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, just two days before the unprecedented "Super Tuesday" national nominating showdown.
Surveys on the Republican side, nationally and in key electoral battlegrounds, meanwhile showed Senator John McCain apparently poised to take a stranglehold on his race ahead of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
The close Democratic race reflected in the polls and the party's complex system of proportionally doling out delegates to national conventions suggests no clear winner will emerge in the race on Tuesday.
A new national poll for the Washington Post and ABC had Clinton with a slim four point lead over Obama 47% to 43%, within the margin of error, and in line with other recent similar polls. Obama closing fast
Clinton had small leads in most other significant states, but Obama, an Illinois senator appeared to be closing fast.
In the delegate-rich state of California, Obama and Clinton appeared to be locked in a pitched battle: a Field Poll had her up 36 to 34%, down from a 12 point lead in mid-January.
Obama lead by 45% to 41% in a Zogby poll in California, while the former first lady led her rival 45% to 36% in a McClatchy survey.
In another battleground, Missouri, where Clinton was campaigning on Sunday, she led Obama 47% to 41% according to a McClatchy/MSNBC poll.
In Georgia, where Illinois Senator Obama is trying to thrust home his advantage among African-Americans, he leads by 47% to 41%, the MSNBC poll found.
In New Jersey, in New York Senator Clinton's backyard, she led 46% to 39% in an MSNBC survey, and topped Obama by 50% to 36% in a Monmouth University/Gannett poll. McCain set for clear victory
In western Arizona, another battleground, Clinton led Obama 43% to 41% according to MSNBC.
In contrast to the Democratic race, McCain, who has recently emerged as the Republican front-runner despite his differences with conservatives, looked set for a clear victory on Tuesday.
The former Vietnam war hero led 48% to 24% over Romney in a Washington Post/ABC News national poll, with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee back on 16%.
McCain led state polls in New York, New Jersey, Missouri and Illinois by comfortable margins.
In California, where McCain snapped up the endorsement of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last week, he held a comfortable lead in two polls, but trailed Romney by three points in the Zogby survey.
- AFP
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