Ohio, the state whose 20 Electoral College Votes put George W. Bush over the top in his bid for re-election four years ago, may be the scene of another close general election contest in 2008.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone poll finds that John McCain attracts 42% of the vote in the Buckeye State while Barack Obama earns 41%. Nine percent (9%) said they would vote for some other candidate while 8% are undecided. McCain leads by ten points among men while Obama leads by seven among women. Following his victory in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary, Obama is now seen as the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic Presidential Nomination.

If Hillary Clinton is able to mount a comeback and become the Democratic nominee, she trails McCain by three percentage points. It’s McCain 46% Clinton 43%. McCain leads Clinton by ten among men and trails by five among women.

Rasmussen Reports will be polling later this week on the Ohio Presidential Primary.

McCain wins 83% of the Republican vote if Clinton is the nominee, 73% if Obama is the nominee. McCain holds a slight edge over Clinton among unaffiliated voters while the reverse is true against Obama. Clinton does a bit better than Obama among Democratic voters. Overall, in most states surveyed recently, Obama performs significantly better against McCain than Clinton. The same dynamic is found nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

In Ohio, McCain is viewed favorably by 56% of Likely Voters, Obama by 55% and Clinton by 48%.

Forty percent (40%) of Ohio voters name the economy as the top voting issue of 2008. The economic confidence of Ohio workers has fallen for five consecutive months.

Twenty percent (20%) name the War in Iraq as the top issue while another 10% name national security as the highest priority. Nationally, Democrats are trusted more than Republicans on most key issues at this time.

Ohio is currently rated as “Leans Democrat” in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. This Calculator provides a daily update of Electoral College projections by aggregating data from a variety of sources including the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in a state, an average of the latest polling from other firms, Rasmussen Markets data, Intrade market data, analyst ratings and more.

Rasmussen Markets data just prior to the release of this poll showed that Democrats are favored to carry Ohio in the general election (current prices: Republican % Democrat %). Overall, among Democrats, the Markets give Obama a 79.0% chance to win the nomination while expectations for a Clinton victory are at 21.5%. Numbers in this paragraph are from a prediction market, not a poll. Using a trading format where traders "buy and sell" candidates, issues, and news features, the Rasmussen Markets harness competitive passions to provide a reliable leading indicator of upcoming events. We invite you to participate in the Rasmussen Markets. It costs nothing to join and add your voice to the collective wisdom of the market.