Poll: McCain Gains, But Obama Well Ahead

CBS News Survey Finds Democrat With Nine Point Advantage Among Likely Voters Nationwide On Eve Of Election Day

(CBS)  On the eve of Election Day in what has effectively been the longest and most expensive presidential campaign in U.S. history, Republican nominee John McCain has gained some ground on Democratic rival Barack Obama, a new CBS News tracking poll finds.

But going into Tuesday's voting, Obama maintains a comfortable, nine-point advantage among likely voters, with a smaller percentage - just five percent - remaining undecided.

The Democratic ticket of Obama and Joe Biden now leads the Republican ticket of McCain and Sarah Palin 51 percent to 42 percent among likely voters nationwide, including those who lean towards one of the candidates. That's a narrowing of four points in McCain's deficit from what CBS News polling showed on Saturday and Sunday, when the Democratic ticket was shown to have a 13-point lead.

Less than 1 in 10 of each candidate's supporters say they might still change their mind.

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Read The Complete Poll

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Overall, nine percent of likely voters say they are uncommitted - either undecided or open to changing their mind. In a CBS News/New York Times poll conducted just before the 2004 election, about 10 percent of voters said they were uncommitted. At the same time in 2000, 16 percent were uncommitted.

This campaign's uncommitted voters are mostly white, and the majority is 45 or older. Nearly half describe themselves as politically moderate and 43 percent are independent. Almost 40 percent live in the South. There are slightly more Democrats (30 percent) than Republicans (20 percent) among the group.

Nearly one in four registered voters say they have already voted absentee or at an early voting location.

The Palin And Bush Factors:

There is evidence that Palin’s presence on the Republican ticket has hurt McCain with some voters. Fourteen percent of Obama's supporters say they once supported McCain, and the top reason given for their switch was McCain's selection of Palin as his running mate.

While views of Palin have improved somewhat since last week, she continues fare worse than Biden when it comes to favorability. Today, 37 percent of registered voters have a favorable view of the Alaska governor, while the same percentage have an unfavorable view. Biden is viewed favorably by 43 percent and unfavorably by 21 percent.

McCain has not been helped by his association with President Bush, the poll suggests. Fifty-four percent of voters think McCain would continue Mr. Bush's policies, and the president is extremely unpopular: his approval rating now stands at 20 percent, the lowest ever recorded for a president. His disapproval rating of 72 percent matches his all-time high, first reached last month.

Views Of The Candidates:

Obama’s voters continue to be much more enthusiastic about their candidate than McCain’s voters are about theirs. Sixty-nine percent of Obama voters are enthusiastic about the Democratic nominee, while just 44 percent of McCain voters are enthusiastic about their candidate.

A majority of McCain voters - 56 percent - are "scared" of the prospect of an Obama presidency, while 45 percent of Obama voters are scared of a McCain presidency.

While 64 percent of registered voters say Obama understands their needs and problems, just 48 percent say McCain understands, a 16 point difference. McCain is more widely seen as prepared to be president, with 65 percent saying he is prepared for the job. But while McCain beats Obama by 12 points on the question, a majority - 53 percent - see Obama as prepared.

Obama's favorable rating stands at 50 percent while his unfavorable rating at 35 percent. Voters are essentially evenly split on McCain, who has a 43 percent favorable rating and a 42 percent unfavorable rating.

The number of voters who think Obama's policies will help the economy is down since Saturday, but he is still the clear winner on this issue. Forty-five percent of registered voters think Obama's policies will make the economy better, a drop of six points from two days ago. But only 30 percent now think McCain's policies will help.

Meanwhile, 48 percent believe McCain will raise their taxes, while 46 percent believe Obama will do so.

The race is essentially tied among men. Obama holds a large lead among women (55 percent to 41 percent) and moderates (60 percent to 33 percent). He has a slight lead among independents (46 percent to 43 percent). McCain holds a small lead among whites overall (49 percent to 46 percent), while the race is about even among white women.

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1051 adults nationwide, including 952 registered voters, interviewed by telephone October 31-November 2, 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 and the sample of registered voters could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

[relee42]

Three words: Barbie is cooked

[concorde5]

Joe the Plumber needs to get a job now!

[joezap5]

Do you Larry Craig, bathroom stall foot tapping, G.O.Pers get anything right, even accidentally!!!

[joezap5]

Neiman Marxist Palin! AS SOCIALIST AS THEY COME!!!

Every citizen in Alaska gets a stipend check from oil corporations because Palins staff thought it would be a political winner in Alaska. (Going along with this was probably one of her best moves.)

Still, Karl Marx would''ve been proud of communist Palins redistribution of wealth and her socialist big government control of the means of wealth... oh the Irony...

[joezap5]

"Sheep gut eating Sleeper cells!" ROTFLMAO!!!! Your fuquen kidding me!!! Polls are coming in and your retarded G.O.P. Closet Homosexual wacked out AM Radio conspiracy theorists have gotta be responsible for for @ least half of McCains demise.

Keep going FromTexWithLove. You and yours, will put OBAMA/BIDEN over the top!!! Don''t let up! Give us about 8 more hours of your rightwing LUNACY!!!

As I said before, you extremist NeoCons are a political gift to the left!!!

I WANT TO HEAR MORE!!! HA! HA! HA!

[xyzme1]

---Uh, it was McCain who threw this non-plumber, who was never going to be buying a Co., into the media!

And I never saw his Country singer wantin''''''''-to-be @$$, avoid the media once!

He''''''''s as fake as your pathetic anti-christ, anti-american coward political party!!!!


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Posted by joezap5 at 04:05 PM : Nov 04, 2008

Typical idiot%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026%u2026.

Instead of addressing the question Joe ask,
They attack Joe

The average Joe is wise enough to know that when government gets involved there is always unintended consequences.

Obama%u2019s Theory of Spread the Wealth, Classical Socialism

McCain%u2019s Theory of Creating Wealth, Free Enterprise

____________________________________________________

Yea and look where all this free enterprise over the last eight years has got us. Lost jobs, lower family incomes, budget surplus eight years ago to the highest deficit ever, Wildly outrageous CEO golden parachutes.

VOTE OBAMA !!!!!!

[cbscrash072]

Remember when reading national polls to keep in mind that Obama will waste a lot of votes in California and New York. He will probably get 4 million extra votes out of those two states.

IDNNSG: The Democrats could have stopped the Republicans they just decided not to for there own selfish political reasons. Screw the country we can get elected.

[texasce99]

The country is not as divided as most of the people making comments think. McCain is not a racist, Gov. Palin is not incompetent (Alaska is one of the few states not on the verge of a recession), Jo Biden is not continuous gaff machine, and Sen. Obama is not a Socialist-Muslim extremist. The Republicans generally tend to be for a smaller government (lately McCain has been an exeption to this) and Democrats have favored more government intervention. Neither side is evil or stupid. All three senators and the govenor have served their constituents well. It is sad that discussion about what policies would be best for our country seem to always to name calling. Most republicans are good people, Most democrats are good people. To bad we can''t disagree in a civil manner.

[idnnsg]

"Morning Joe said today that the reason Bush gave in and let the Democrats waste and spend so much money over the last 8 years is because Bush wanted the congress to leave him alone in the war in Iraq."

That is complete BS! Repugs completely controlled All Three branches of government for 6 years! The only spending allowed was on whatever Bush wanted. And for the next 2 years, after the democrats supposedly got the majority in congress, the same pattern continued because Bush threatened to veto everything the democrats wanted to do and there are still enough repugs in congress to filibuster, which has prevented the democrats from making any meaningful changes.

Add to this that the biggest "socialist" in the country right now is none other than GW Bush. It was HE who pushed for the big bailout of the banks! And yet, you repugs have the nerve to call Obama a "socialist"!!! You are all delusional.

[mairin27]

Well, sorry, Slownewsday/daze, Mairin27, maybe I just get confused responding to whichever of your 50 ''''nic names'''' you throw up here with your scam support for Obslime-a...it gets kinda hard to keep up with which scam cut ''''n paste you''''re using at the moment.


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Posted by FromTexwLove at 04:33 PM : Nov 04, 2008

And you are still delusional.. No use arguing with a crazy person.

[mairin27]

Posted by mairin27 at 04:19 PM : Nov 04, 2008

Yeah you are, he thinks he''''s the spelling police also....I spell it nic names does that just chap your little pinko behind off or something?


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Posted by FromTexwLove at 04:22 PM : Nov 04, 2008

No but you have in the past claimed superior intellect. However, your posting and spellings seem to indicate otherwise.

[ajmarine111]

Posted by mairin27 at 04:19 PM : Nov 04, 2008

Yeah you are, he thinks he''''s the spelling police also....I spell it nic names does that just chap your little pinko behind off or something?


Posted by FromTexwLove at 04:22 PM : Nov 04, 2008



We taking off for bad spelling around here now?

Da*n,.......I must have missed that e-mail.

[farouk7]

DON''T GLOAT - VOTE

DON''T GLOAT - VOTE

THE ONLY POLL THAT COUNTS IS ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008

DON''T GLOAT - VOTE

DON''T GLOAT - VOTE

Well it%u2019s okay to gloat a little; just make sure you vote first.

[joezap5]

Sleeper cells??? !!!! ROTFLMAO!!! You almost made my wife **** her pants!!!!LOL Please keep it going for about 9 more hours!!!

[mairin27]

Slownewsday/daze, Mairin27, blah blah blah evidently can''''t count above age 12...he puts it in everyone of his poasts under everyone of his 50 nic names on this blogspot.....


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Posted by FromTexwLove at 04:10 PM : Nov 04, 2008

And Rowdy can''t spell:

nic names - should be Nicknames
Schiztophrenic= should be Schizophrenic (I told you to just go look on your RX: of Haldol)
poast- should be posts

Again-Sorry to disappoint but I am not slownews. Although I agree with many of his posts.

[joezap5]

Obama sucks all the way around
He might be part of a closet Muslim sleeper cell
He is a Islamic Socialist
And his Spread the Wealth slip shows people how he really thinks



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Posted by freespeach at 04:12 PM : Nov 04, 2008

Please keep it up! You are better than any OBAMA ad and you don''t cost a thing!!! LOL LOL

[mairin27]

Obama sucks all the way around
He might be part of a closet Muslim sleeper cell
He is a Islamic Socialist
And his Spread the Wealth slip shows people how he really thinks



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Posted by freespeach at 04:12 PM : Nov 04, 2008

Um-hm and John Mccain could be the Manchurian Candidate.

[joezap5]

freespeach, Mc Cain''s Theory of creating wealth? Are you serious? Lets look at modern history every Depression/recession has been caused be your retarded party.

Of course lets not look where we stand right now either!! Start carving that L for LOSER in your face now cause this great country isn''t buying your ***** anymore. LOL LOL LOL

[mairin27]

and your *** looks huge in those pants


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Posted by jgg0002 at 03:47 PM : Nov 04, 2008


Try again dillhole- Only older ladies with big boobs get saggy teabags.

Your low IQ is still showing. How old are you 12?

[dremn1]

Hey Obama Voters, Do not forget, today is Nov 4th and your welfare checks are probably in your mail box.