Monday, September 08, 2008

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John McCain gained a little ground nationally during the convention season this year, but in the state that hosted the Democratic National Convention Barack Obama inched ahead. The latest Fox News/Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Colorado shows Obama attracting 49% of the vote while McCain earns 46% (Demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members.)

Last month, it was McCain with a statistically insignificant lead in this critical swing state. Obama had not trailed in any of the six previous monthly polls conducted this election season in Colorado.

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While Obama is ahead, McCain is viewed more positively. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Colorado voters have a favorable opinion of the Republican while 54% say the same about the Democratic hopeful. For McCain, that figure reflects a five percentage point gain over the past month while Obama’s numbers are unchanged. McCain is viewed more favorably than Obama in all five state polls released tonight (other states include Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia). One of the key questions in the coming weeks will be whether or not those high favorability ratings will be translated into votes.

Rasmussen Reports and Fox News Channel will jointly release a series battleground state polls every Monday night at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. See overview of all polling released this week.

Rasmussen Reports will release other state polling on the Presidential race weeknights at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, follows the race on a national basis and is updated every morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

In most states, McCain attracts more support from Republicans than Obama does from Democrats. However, in Colorado, the two are essentially even when it comes to partisan support. That may be one benefit from having the Democratic National Convention in this western swing state.

Forty-one percent (41%) of Colorado voters have a Very Favorable opinion of Sarah Palin. That’s higher than for any of the other candidates on the national ticket (in fact, she has the highest Very Favorable ratings of any candidate in all five state polls released tonight).

Overall, Palin is viewed favorably by 54% and unfavorably by 43%. For her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, the numbers are 53% favorable and 43% unfavorable.

Rasmussen Markets data shows that Democrats are currently given a % chance of winning Colorado’s nine Electoral College votes this November. At the time this poll was released, Colorado was rated as “Toss-Up” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. NOTE: Factors other than the latest Rasmussen Reports poll impact the Balance of Power ratings. The current status is indicated on the table in the upper right corner of this article.

President Bush’s job approval rating is up a bit this month, with 37% now saying he is doing a good or excellent job. However, 49% say he is doing a poor job. Nationally, the President’s ratings are hovering just above the lowest levels ever recorded during his time in office.

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See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs are available for Premium Members only.