Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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It’s a 13-point race for the presidency now in Kansas.

John McCain leads Barack Obama in the longtime Republican state 54% to 41% in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Kansas voters.

A month ago, McCain was ahead 58% to 38%. The race has never been closer than 10 points since Rasmussen Reports began polling in the state in May.

Rasmussen Markets data gives the Republicans a % chance of winning Kansas’ six Electoral College votes next month. The state remains “Safely Republican” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator.

Nationally, Obama has been maintaining a steady lead in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll since the turmoil on Wall Street began leading the news.

Incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts continues to dominate his Democratic challenger in the U.S. Senate race in Kansas, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports poll numbers released today.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).

Both presidential candidates are drawing support about equally from their own parties and from their opponent’s in Kansas. Unaffiliated voters now favor Obama 47% to 42%. This is a sizable change from last month when McCain had a 24-point lead among these voters.

McCain has a 15-point lead among men and is ahead among women by 10. In most states, he trails Obama among women voters, often by sizable margins.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Kansas voters view McCain favorably, while 33% see him in an unfavorable light. Obama has 46% favorables and 53% unfavorables.

Nearly half (49%) say the Republican candidate is more in tune with the needs of Kansas than his Democratic opponent, but 36% disagree.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) have a favorable opinion of McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and 41% view her unfavorably. Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, who is running with Obama, is seen favorably by 50% and unfavorably by 47%.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of Kansas voters rate economic issues as the most important thing in this election, which is low by comparison with most of the country. Twenty-one percent (21%) say national security is most important.

A plurality of Kansas voters (35%) believe Congress is most to blame for the current economic crisis, followed by 24% who blame the Bush administration. They trust McCain more by 13 points to solve the crisis.

McCain is trusted more than Obama 53% to 41% on the economy and 60% to 34% on national security.

If Iran attacks Israel, 42% of Kansas voters say the United States should respond with troops, while 33% say America should look to the United Nations.

New polling on the presidential race is also being released today from Virginia North Carolina, Ohio, 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.

Thirty-four percent (34%) of Kansas voters say President Bush is doing a good or excellent job, but 43% rate his performance as poor.

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