Sept. 4, 2008

CBS Poll: McCain, Obama Tied

McCain Closes Eight-Point Gap From Poll Taken Last Weekend

  • Play CBS Video Video Feisty Palin Rips Obama

    Republicans roar for Gov. Sarah Palin from Alaska, who came out strong during her RNC speech, Jeff Glor reports. Maggie Rogriguez speaks to Sen. Joe Biden for his reaction.

  • Video Palin Comes Out Swinging

    Sarah Palin got a rousing welcome from GOP delegates at the RNC in St. Paul, Minn. She talked about her small town roots and made some not-so-subtle jabs at Barack Obama. Jeff Glor reports.

  • Video Palin Sister Talks Family

    Heather Bruce, Gov. Sarah Palin's sister, talks to Maggie Rodriguez about their family's role of support for the VP candidate.

  •  (AP / CBS)

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(CBS)  The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain is now even at 42 percent, according to a new CBS News poll conducted Monday-Wednesday of this week. Twelve percent are undecided according to the poll, and one percent said they wouldn't vote.

This is in contrast to a poll conducted last weekend, where the Obama-Biden ticket led McCain-Palin by eight points, 48 percent to 40 percent.

McCain has also closed the enthusiasm gap some with Obama, but it still exists. Fifty-five percent of Obama's supporters are enthusiastic about their choice, and now so are 35% of McCain's. Last weekend, just 25 percent of McCain's supporters were enthusiastic about him, compared to 67 of Obama's supporters.

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This week's polling continues to show voters waiting to decide about Sarah Palin (see yesterday's poll on Palin). But in interviewing done yesterday, 83 percent of registered voters said that spouse and family of a candidate will not affect their votes.

Other factors within the race and overall opinions of the candidates, however, have remained similar from this weekend.

Thirty-eight percent say they have a favorable view of Obama, compared 34 percent unfavorable and 27 percent undecided. For McCain, it's 37 percent favorable, 36 percent unfavorable and 27 percent undecided.

McCain maintains his large advantage on the likelihood of being an effective commander-in-chief - 46 percent of voters say it is "very likely" McCain would be an effective commander-in-chief, compared to 24 percent who say that about Obama.

But McCain still has one big deficit to make up -- just 44 percent of voters say he understands their needs and problems, compared with 60 percent who say that about Obama.

In the poll, Obama continues to have a lead with women voters, 43 percent to 38 percent, while McCain has the edge with men, 46 percent to 41 percent. As has been standard in this campaign, voters under age 45 are backing Obama, while older voters are supporting McCain.

McCain wins the support of married voters and Obama has the backing of voters who are not married. It should be noted, though, that most married voters are older while those who are not married tend to be younger.

Independents in this poll are divided. In the poll conducted over the weekend, Obama had a six-point advantage with this group, but now the lead is three points, 39 percent to 36 percent.

The poll also shows that the majority of Clinton supporters continue to support Obama - 67 percent in this poll, up from 58 percent last weekend.

McCain has seen a similar uptick from white evangelicals since the weekend - 66 percent now, up from 57 percent.

Read The Complete Poll


This poll was conducted among a random sample of 835 adults nationwide, including 734 registered voters, interviewed by telephone September 1-3, 2008. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points; for registered voters the sampling error could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Add a Comment See all 1999 Comments
by Salitine September 7, 2008 10:44 AM EDT
CBS, half of your phone calls aren''t even making it to the people you want to poll.
Reply to this comment
by whatithink1 September 7, 2008 10:29 AM EDT
Sarah Palin: Society MUST ONLY teach American children ABSTINENCE ONLY! ABSTINENCE ONLY! But, don''t look to me for an example of it working!

John McCain: That''s right, leave her alone! Children should be off-limits! And Chelsea Clinton is ugly and the love child of Janet Reno and Hillary Clinton. You hear me Hillary supporters...I said VOTE FOR US.

Sarah Palin: That''s right, Hillary Supporters. Vote for us now that the whiner is out of the race!
Reply to this comment
by ubrew12 September 7, 2008 9:00 AM EDT
For 30 years, Republican Presidents, working with Republican Congresses, have cut taxes but refused to cut spending, (which is politically unpopular) . The resultant $10 trillion debt now threatens to enslave an entire generation of Americans. The taxes that were ''cut'' weren''t actually cut, they were ROLLED onto the backs of the unborn. Today, just the $300 billion cost of paying the INTEREST on this debt, absorbs all taxes paid by everyone West of the Mississippi River. It pays for no roads, no law n order, no sewers, no armed forces. It pays rich people and foreignors for holding off our foreclosure for one more year, giving us a year to come up with NEXT years $300 billion. But, thanks to Bush doubling an already gigantic debt, the global ''smart money'' already knows America is an irresponsible borrower and have devalued the dollar in response, meaning ordinary Americans must now pay more for EVERYTHING they buy: gasoline, clothing, groceries, etc. Adding insult to injury, Republicans have worked to loosen government oversight of our lending industries, with the unhappy consequence that the ordinary taxpayer must NOW bail out multiple banks, and take OVER Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, because of their ''irrational exhuberance'' following deregulation.

Now, do voters REALLY want to reward Republicans for DOING this to America? What kind of signal does that SEND??? To me, it sends a signal that ''THE BEATINGS SHOULD CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES!!!''
Reply to this comment
by tbweb September 7, 2008 7:10 AM EDT
In this Presidential Election it`s becoming increasingly clear that it`s not about the issues. There is no way McCain and the Republican Party should even be in this race with a chance to win, Sarah Palin has nothing to do with it. This race is indicating something far more ugly, far more sinister. Republicans have committed every possible offense to America under the Bush administration and will still win this election, thats absolutely disgusting. It`s not about the issues because if it were Republicans would be down double digits!!
Reply to this comment
by credibility2 September 7, 2008 1:49 AM EDT
To ckbgsb: all of your posts about "and now for the news" is immature. Are you that insecure that you have to keep making moronic posts in order to prop yourself up as someone who''s perhaps insightful or remotely clever?
Reply to this comment
by ckbgsb September 7, 2008 1:04 AM EDT
Tom Ridge Sums Up The McCain Platform: "John Bush"

And now for the news...
Reply to this comment
by ckbgsb September 7, 2008 1:03 AM EDT
Sarah Palin: No Questions

And now for the news...
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by ckbgsb September 7, 2008 1:01 AM EDT
AP: McCain-Palin Becoming Palin-McCain?

And now for the news...
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by ckbgsb September 7, 2008 1:00 AM EDT
Palin MIA From Sunday Morning Talk Shows

And now for the news...
Reply to this comment
by ckbgsb September 7, 2008 12:59 AM EDT
Democrats Post Big Gains In Voter Registration

And now for the news...
Reply to this comment
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