Opinion: New L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll finds deep-seated worries over the economy

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The presidential campaign enters its final six-week leg with the public deeply troubled about the state of the U.S. economy, the results of a new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll show.

The Ticket can’t reveal the precise results quite yet; for that, check back at LATimes.com about 5 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. PDT). But suffice to say that the concern over the nation’s general economic condition in the wake of the turmoil roiling Wall Street is striking.

Those interviewed for the survey, conducted Friday through Monday, were somewhat more sanguine when asked if they felt more or less secure financially than six months ago. But still, the poll results for this question drive home the degree to which public confidence in the economy has been shaken.

The poll also found that Americans are far from sold on the government riding to the rescue of ailing private financial firms. And it gauged opinion on which candidate -- Barack Obama or John McCain -- is best equipped to deal with the business crisis as president.

The new survey comes as the two campaigns will be digesting new poll results from four crucial battleground states: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Most pundits have assumed Obama would benefit from the spotlight turning squarely onto the economy, and that appears to be the case. The survey by Quinnipiac University, conducted in conjunction with the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, found him maintaining slim leads in Michigan and Minnesota and holding a more solid advantage in Wisconsin. All three are states the Democratic presidential tickets carried in the tight 2000 and 2004 races and Obama almost assuredly needs to hold them to win the White House.

The best news for Obama comes from Colorado. George Bush won the state and its 9 electoral votes in 2000 and 2008, but Democrats view it as one of their prime pickup opportunities. And the new poll shows Obama pulling ahead of McCain there, 49% to 45%, after trailing the Republican by one percentage point in a comparable August survey.

A full report on the Quinnipiac results can be perused here.

-- Don Frederick