Arizona Senator John McCain (R) has had little but bad news over the past month. His campaign is in financial trouble, most of his staff has left, and he sank to single digits for the first time last week in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll shows that McCain still has some potential in general election match-ups. He has pulled to within two percentage points of the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. The former First Lady leads McCain 45% to 43%. A month ago, she held a nine-point advantage over the man once considered the Republican frontrunner. For all of 2006 and the first three months of this year, McCain led Clinton in all Rasmussen Reports polls. They were tied in April and Clinton has generally held the upper hand since that time.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) holds a slightly larger edge over McCain, 46% to 40%. A month ago, it was Obama 47%, McCain 38%. Early in 2007, these candidates were essentially tied.

McCain trails both Democrats by double digits among women. He leads Clinton by seven points among men while male voters are evenly divided between McCain and Obama.

McCain has regained a bit of ground against both Democrats at the same time he has regained some lost ground in his own favorability ratings. Today, 48% of Likely Voters have a favorable opinion of the Arizona Senator while 44% have an unfavorable view. While those figures are a long way from the 59% favorable ratings McCain received last December, the current numbers are an improvement from July. During the month that his campaign was publicly imploding, just 44% of Americans offered a positive assessment of McCain.

The partisan breakdown of McCain’s favorables show how he can be competitive in a general election match-up while falling off the pace among Republicans. Within his own party, McCain is viewed favorably 54% and unfavorably by 40%. It is difficult to comprehend how anyone could win their party nomination with such high unfavorables among the party faithful.

But, among Democrats, 43% have a favorable view while 47% say the opposite. As for those not affiliated with either major party, 46% offer a favorable opinion of McCain while 43% hold an unfavorable view. Those numbers are relatively positive in today’s partisan world.

For example, Clinton is now viewed favorably by 49% of American voters and unfavorably by 48%. But the partisan divide is huge. The Senator from New York is viewed favorably by 82% of Democrats and just 11% of Republicans. Negative reviews of Clinton are offered by 87% of Republicans and just 16% of Democrats. Those not affiliated with either major party are evenly divided—46% favorable and 48% unfavorable.

Obama’s numbers show a similar pattern, though not quite to the same extreme. Overall, the Illinois Senator is viewed favorably by 48% and unfavorably by 45%.

Among Democrats, Obama is viewed favorably by 66%. Only 25% of Republicans and 49% of unaffiliateds share that view.

Obama earns negative reviews from 30% of Democrats, 40% of unaffiliateds, and 69% of Republicans.

Clinton, because she is the best known of all the candidates, is in a competitive race with all top Republican candidates. She trails both Giuliani and Thompson by a statistically insignificant single point in the latest Rasmussen Reports polling..

Obama leads both Giuliani and Thompson. Obama has a smaller number of people who will definitely vote against him than Clinton.

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