Opinion: New post-Pa. national poll: Obama’s lead fades, Clinton ties
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Watch for a little bounce in Hillary Clinton’s steps these days in Indiana since her Pennsylvania primary win last Tuesday -- she got a little bounce in her national poll numbers, too.
It’s all tied up again!
That daily tracking survey which the Gallup Poll has been running -- charting an uncannily close contest nationally between Clinton and Barack Obama for the hearts of Democratic voters -- shows Obama and Clinton virtually tied again. Obama at 48%, Clinton 47%.
And Clinton closed the gap in the few days since Pennsylvania’s voters gave her a nearly 10% win.
The Gallup tracking from Tuesday through Thursday includes two days of interviews conducted entirely after Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Democratic primary, Gallup notes. And it found something surprising: undecided voters are leaving the fence. And they’re choosing to come down on the Clinton side of the party’s divide.
‘Support for Clinton is significantly higher in these post-primary interviews than it was just prior to her Pennsylvania victory, clearly suggesting that Clinton’s win there is the catalyst for her increased national support,’’ Gallup’s Lydia Saad reports.
‘Obama’s lead dwindled steadily all week, falling from a high of 10 percentage points in interviewing conducted in the three days just prior to the Pennsylvania primary,’’ Saad adds in the new results out today. ‘However, the percentage of Democrats supporting Obama has changed little (declining from 50% in April 19-21 polling to 48% today). Most of Clinton’s increased support (from 40% to 47%) has come from previously undecided voters.
‘Both Clinton and Obama have experienced surges in support for their candidacies at various times since the start of the primary season,’ she adds, ‘several of them linked with primary wins and other high profile events -- only to see the race revert back to a near tie position.’’
-- Mark Silva
Mark Silva writes for the Swamp of the Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau. Photo Credit: AP