John McCain has gained ground for the third straight month and now holds a slight two-point advantage over Barack Obama in the swing state of New Hampshire.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Granite State finds McCain attracting 49% of the vote while Obama earns 47%. A month ago, it was Obama by a point.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Obama voters say they will vote with enthusiasm for their candidate, a feeling shared by 68% of McCain voters.
Twenty-six percent (26%) of McCain voters say they’re voting primarily against Obama while 20% of Obama voters are voting primarily against McCain.
McCain is now viewed favorably by 60% of New Hampshire voters, Obama by 54%. Those figures reflect a three-point improvement for McCain and a single-point decline for Obama.
Obama leads by a wide margin among voters under 30, but his opponent has the edge among older voters. McCain is supported by 92% of New Hampshire Republicans while Obama gets the vote from 88% of Democrats in the state. For McCain, those figures reflect a stunning improvement.
Two months ago, he was supported by just 78% of New Hampshire Republicans.
The Democrat’s support has steadily decreased in the Granite State since he clinched the nomination in early June. Obama fell from an 11-percentage point lead in mid-June to a six-point lead in July and a single point advantage in August. McCain was ahead in New Hampshire during March and April.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is viewed favorably by 53% in New Hampshire and unfavorably by 45%. For Delaware Senator Joe Biden, the numbers are 49% favorable and 45% unfavorable. Feelings both for and against are more strongly held about Palin. These results are similar to the national average.
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This telephone survey of 700 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on September 23, 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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New Hampshire Trends: McCain vs. Obama |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Date |
McCain |
Obama |
|
10/30/2008 |
44% |
51% |
|
46% |
50% |
|
|
10/01/2008 |
43% |
53% |
|
49% |
47% |
|
|
42% |
43% |
|
|
41% |
47% |
|
|
39% |
50% |
|
|
43% |
48% |
|
|
51% |
41% |
|
|
46% |
43% |
|
|
36% |
49% |
|
|
Favorable Ratings for Presidential Candidates in New Hampshire |
||
|---|---|---|
|
McCain |
Obama |
|
|
Very Favorable |
31% |
42% |
|
Somewhat Favorable |
21% |
16% |
|
Somewhat Unfavorable |
24% |
8% |
|
Very Unfavorable |
20% |
33% |
|
Not Sure |
3% |
1% |
|
Rasmussen Reports - Electoral College Balance of Power Summary |
|
|---|---|
|
160 |
|
|
260 |
|
|
118 |
|
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.
