Obama whomps McCain in PPP poll, up by 17 points in early vote

It’s all over but the voting, and most of that is already over too, according to a Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey of Colorado voters released early Friday morning. “Barack Obama’s already just about won the race for President in Colorado,” PPP pollster Tom Jensen wrote, pointing to the Democrat’s 17-point lead over Republican John McCain among the state’s early voters and 10-point lead overall.

The poll — part of a batch of battleground state PPP polls released overnight — found Obama leading 60 percent to 36 percent among unaffiliated voters and snagging a few more Republicans (13 percent) than McCain attracted Democrats (10 percent). “So much for the Democrats’ party unity problem this year,” Jensen said.

For the second poll in a row, Obama is running 10 points ahead in Colorado, winning the support of 54 percent respondents to McCain’s 44 percent. “At one point in the not-so-distant past it looked like the race for president might come down to Colorado on election night,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, in a statement on the poll. “But since the economy started really going south, Obama has broken open the race in the state and looks primed for a dominant victory Tuesday.”

Two-thirds of those surveyed said they had already voted — a higher percentage than recorded by state election officials, which don’t count mail ballots en route or those voters who plan to drop it off on Election Day. Obama is “banking a huge lead in early voting,” PPP concluded, with 58 percent versus 41 percent for McCain.

The crucial Hispanic vote — the fastest growing group in the state — supports Obama by a ratio of nearly 2-to-1, the survey found, swinging 65 percent to 33 percent in the Democrat’s favor. McCain fares better — but not enough better — among white voters, who break for Obama 50 percent to 48 percent. African-American voters overwhelmingly favor Obama, 91 percent to 7 percent.

McCain counts an edge in a single group surveyed, winning 54 percent of those 65 and older, against Obama’s 43 percent. Obama sweeps younger voters by similar margins.

PPP surveyed 2,023 likely voters starting Tuesday and ending Thursday. The poll’s margin of error is 2.2 percentage points.

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