With Barack Obama’s campaign now crying foul at ads and comments from his Republican opponents, nearly one out of three voters (32%) say this year’s presidential race is more negative than most.

Democrats, unaffiliated voters and Republicans, still smarting from the nastiness directed at Sarah Palin, agree by nearly identical numbers.

But 74% also say the media reports more on negative campaigning than the issues. Just 13% disagree, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey (see toplines and demographic crosstabs).

Sixty-eight percent (68%), in a separate survey, say reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and 61% say Obama has received better media treatment this election year, as Republicans have routinely complained (see toplines and demographic crosstabs). These findings of media bias echo a number of previous surveys this year.

Just 14% rate this year’s campaign as more positive than most, despite both candidates’ pledges early on to take the high road, and 51% say it’s about the same as previous ones.

A month ago, only 23% thought this election was more negative than most, and 20% said it was more positive. Fifty-five percent (55%) rated it business as usual.

Twenty percent (20%) of Democrats say the current election cycle is more positive, but only eight percent (8%) of Republicans and 11% of unaffiliated voters agree.

Voters are evenly divided, though, on whether a candidate can win an election without criticizing his opponent.

Nationally, Obama has opened a stable lead over McCain in both the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll and the Electoral College projections.

A plurality (40%) say Obama’s campaign has been generally positive, while just 17% say that of McCain’s. Forty-two percent (42%) describe McCain’s campaign as generally negative, and 24% say the same of Obama’s. Obama’s and McCain’s campaigns are described as somewhere in between by 36% and 40% respectively.

Republicans are more critical of McCain’s campaign than Democrats are of Obama’s. Only 28% of GOP voters say McCain’s campaign has been generally positive, but 17% disagree, with 54% rating it somewhere in between. By comparison, 69% of Democratic voters say Obama has run a generally positive campaign versus eight percent (8%) who rate it generally negative and 22% who place it somewhere in between.

Thirty-four percent (34%) of unaffiliated voters say Obama’s campaign has been generally positive, while half as many (17%) think that of McCain’s. Thirty-six percent (36%) of unaffiliateds see McCain as running a generally negative campaign, and 23% see Obama’s the same way.

Women voters continue to give Obama’s campaign higher marks than men do, although both rate the Democrat’s campaign more positive than his opponent’s.

Democrats are less skeptical of the media. While 83% of Republicans and 75% of unaffiliated voters say the media focuses more on negative campaigning than on issues, just 67% of Democrats feel that way.

In the second survey, only 23% think reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of campaigns in general. Compared to potential Obama voters, likely McCain voters by almost two-to-one think reporters will try to help the candidate they like.

In the current cycle, 51% believe most reporters will try to help Obama, but 28% believe they will offer unbiased coverage. Just nine percent (9%) think they will try to help McCain. While 92% of likely McCain voters think reporters will try to help Obama, only 16% of likely Obama voters think they will try to help McCain.

By nearly five-to-one voters believe Obama has gotten more favorable coverage than either his GOP opponent or his Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton.

Forty-four percent (44%) say reporters will hide information that will hurt the candidate they want to win, but 33% disagree. Women are evenly divided on this question, but men believe it by more than 20 points. Again, those who plan to vote for McCain are far more likely to believe this than those planning to vote for Obama.

It can’t be reassuring to the troubled news industry that 44% trust family and friends for information on the presidential campaign more than news reporters, although 35% feel the opposite. Fifty-six percent (56%) of likely McCain voters trust family and friends more. A plurality of potential Obama voters (49%) put more faith in reporters.

New polling on the presidential race was released yesterday from Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Missouri. See an overview of all five state polls and the latest Electoral College projections. A total of 270 Electoral Votes are needed to win the White House (see 50-State Summary).

Recent statewide presidential polls have been released for Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Demographic crosstabs for all state polling are available for Premium Members. Learn More.