Tuesday, September 23, 2008

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John McCain has jumped back to a 20-point lead over Barack Obama in the Republican stronghold of Kansas. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds the GOP candidate ahead 58% to 38%.

Last month, McCain was ahead 52% to 37%, after leading by 20 in July. The race was closest back in June, when Obama pulled to within 10 points after clinching the Democratic nomination.

Rasmussen Markets data gives the Republicans a 96.0 % chance of carrying Kansas in November. The state remains “Safely Republican” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator.

Republican Senator Pat Roberts also now leads Democratic challenger Jim Slattery 58% to 38%, the highest level of support for the incumbent in the race to date.

This month, McCain leads 58% to 34% among unaffiliated voters in Kansas. He also has a 62% to 34% advantage among men and a 55% to 41% edge among women.

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McCain is viewed favorably by 68% and unfavorably by 31%. Obama’s ratings are 44% favorable, 53% unfavorable.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is viewed favorably by 60% and unfavorably by 36%. Her Democratic counterpart, Joseph Biden, is regarded favorably by 46%, but slightly more (48%) view him unfavorably. Half of Kansas voters (51%) consider Palin to be Very Conservative politically, while 30% say Biden is at least somewhat liberal.

Kansas voters think McCain made the right choice with Palin by a 57% to 33% margin, but they're split more evenly over Obama's selection of Biden. While 37% think Biden was the right pick, 38% disagree, and 25% are not sure. One in four Democrats (25%) in Kansas think Biden was the wrong choice for Obama, while just 13% of Republicans say the same about Palin.

Most voters (61%) say they will be voting with enthusiasm for their candidate, while 30% say they will vote primarily against the opposing candidate. Sixty percent (60%) of McCain supporters say they will vote enthusiastically for their candidate, and 68% of Obama supporters say the same.

Voters in Kansas, unlike most of the country, remain fairly evenly divided on President Bush’s job performance. While 41% say he is doing a good or excellent job, 37% say he is doing a poor job.

Rasmussen Reports and Fox News Channel jointly released a series of battleground state polls Monday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. See overview of all polling released this week with results from Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Additional state poll results will be released at RasmussenReports.com each Monday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern and Tuesday-Friday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Nationally, the race between Obama and McCain is very close in the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll which is updated every day at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

This survey was conducted in partnership with Fox Television Stations Inc.

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