Indiana is one of the most reliably Republican states in the nation, but it also neighbors Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois. Hoosiers still prefer Republican John McCain, but the race could be closer than in recent years, especially if Obama picks one of the state's senators, Evan Bayh, as his running mate.
The first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state shows McCain attracting 46% of the vote while Obama earns 42%. When “leaners” are included, it's McCain by six, 49% to 43%. Leaners are survey participants who initially indicate no preference for either major candidate but indicate that they are leaning towards either McCain or Obama.
McCain is viewed favorably by 65% of Indiana voters, Obama by 52%.
Obama earns Very Favorable reviews from 28% while 27% have a Very Unfavorable opinion of him. For McCain, those numbers are 23% Very Favorable and 12% Very Unfavorable.
McCain leads by 12 among men, and the candidates are essentially even among women.
Forty-one percent (41%) of Indiana voters say the economy is the most important issue of Election 2008. Twenty-five percent (25%) name national security issues. Those figures are close to the national average.
Parts of northwestern Indiana are effectively suburbs of Chicago, Obama’s home base. During the Indiana Primary, strong turnout in this region almost enabled Obama to pull off an upset victory. Four years ago, John Kerry racked up a 23-percentage point margin over George Bush in Lake County, the state’s most northwestern county.
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This telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports August 19-21, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
See Methodology.
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Favorable Ratings for Presidential Candidates in Indiana |
||
|---|---|---|
|
McCain |
Obama |
|
|
Very Favorable |
26% |
37% |
|
Somewhat Favorable |
31% |
12% |
|
Somewhat Unfavorable |
17% |
14% |
|
Very Unfavorable |
23% |
34% |
|
Not Sure |
2% |
3% |
|
Rasmussen Reports - Electoral College Balance of Power Summary |
|
|---|---|
|
160 |
|
|
260 |
|
|
118 |
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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
The Rasmussen Reports ElectionEdge™ Premium Service for Election 2008 offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a Presidential election.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
