Obama pulling away from McCain in Colorado, poll finds

Increasing his lead from a single point a week ago, Barack Obama now leads John McCain among likely voters in Colorado by 5 points, according to a Rasmussen poll released Monday. The survey, conducted Sunday, shows Obama ahead 51 percent to 46 percent for McCain. At the same time, Rasmussen moved the state from “Toss-Up” to “Leans Democratic” in its Balance of Power tally, which is based on factors in addition to the latest surveys.

Presidential preference seems to be solidifying in the crucial battleground state, which has thrown its nine electoral votes to the Republican in the last three elections. Only 18 percent of Colorado voters said they could change their minds before the election, down 4 points in the last week. Two weeks ago, McCain led by 2 points in the same poll.

The poll shows Obama outflanking McCain on favorability among Colorado voters, with 39 percent viewing the Democrat “very favorable,” compared to 26 percent viewing McCain that way.

Obama holds a 15-point lead among women in the state, far outpacing McCain’s 5-point advantage among men. Independent voters prefer Obama by 14 points but are also more likely than partisans to say their preference could change, with one-third saying that’s possible before the election.

Wednesday’s daily tracking poll from Rassmusen shows Obama maintaining for the second day an 8-point lead nationwide, 52 percent to 44 percent. It’s the widest margin either candidate has enjoyed in the daily poll since the firm began keeping track in June.

The Colorado poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of 3 percent.

Comments are closed.