Neither Reflects Effect, If Any, From Obama's Speech on Race and Racism
McCain Leads Obama in Gallup Survey, Is Statistically Tied with Clinton
By Jon Ponder on 3/20/2008, 7:42am PT  

Guest blogged by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review.

These new numbers from Gallup are from March 14 to 18, and so may reflect negative reactions among Democrats to the controversial sermons of Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but not positive reactions to Obama's speech on race and racism on March 18:

The [poll] gave Clinton, a New York senator, a 49 percent to 42 percent edge over Obama, an Illinois senator. The poll has an error margin of 3 percentage points.

Gallup said it was the first statistically significant lead for Clinton since a tracking poll conducted February 7-9, just after the Super Tuesday primaries.

McCain still comes out ahead of both Democrats in the national head-to-head:

[McCain is] leading Obama 47 percent to 43 percent in ... the general election. The general election survey has an error margin of 2 percentage points. The Arizona senator also edged Clinton 48 percent to 45 percent but Gallup said the lead was not statistically significant.

As my colleague Trish reported yesterday, Obama's national lead over Clinton had a double-digit drop --- he is ahead 47 percent to 44 percent now, down sharply from a 14 point edge --- in a Reuters/Zogby nationwide poll taken March 13 and 14, at the height of the Wright controversy and well ahead of Obama's March 18 speech.

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