Obama holds solid lead in Ohio

Barack Obama continues to hold a solid advantage over John McCain in Ohio, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling. His lead in the state is 48-40, similar to the 50-39 edge he showed in PPP’s June poll.



Obama trails McCain 46-42 among white voters, but his 91-6 advantage with African Americans gives him the overall lead. “Right now Barack Obama is in a pretty good position in Ohio,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “His standing with black voters is not surprising, but he is also doing unusually well with white voters in the state.

Whether he can sustain that level of support or not will probably determine if he can take this state.” The results show a significant gender gap, with Obama leading by 20 points among women but trailing by seven with men. Obama leads in all age groups except senior citizens.

The PPP poll also spells trouble for GOP Governor George Voinovich in his fight for re-election:

Another "battleground" state bites the dust. . .

Obama has large lead in Ohio

Via: Public Policy Polling - Hat Tip: Robert Rouse at Left of Centrist

Raleigh, N.C. June 16,2008 – Barack Obama kicks off the general election with a 50-39 lead over John McCain in Ohio, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling.
It’s a significant change from PPP’s most recent previous Ohio survey, conducted in
March, which found Obama trailing McCain 49-41 during the heart of the Jeremiah
Wright controversy.

Obama leads by equal margins among men and women, and has a four point lead with white voters while also holding a dominant 75-21 advantage with African Americans. The survey also found that Hillary Clinton could help him if she was on the ticket in Ohio. 19% of respondents said they would be more likely to vote for Obama if he was her VP choice, while 15% said they would be less likely to support him.

“Barack Obama appears to be enjoying a strong unity bounce in Ohio,” said Dean
Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “He begins the general election campaign in a strong position in the state, and Ohio is one place where putting Senator Clinton on the ticket seems likely to give him a boost.”

Results from the earlier March survey showed quite a different outcome in the Buckeye State:

Raleigh, N.C. March 19, 2008 – In possible general election match ups in Ohio Hillary Clinton shows a slight lead over John McCain while McCain has a larger advantage over Barack Obama, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling. Clinton leads McCain 45-44 in the state, while McCain has a 49-41 advantage over Obama.

Obama overtakes Clinton in Pennsylvania

Raleigh, N.C. – Barack Obama has taken the lead over Hillary Clinton 45-43 in Pennsylvania, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling. It’s a remarkable turn around from PPP’s last Pennsylvania poll, conducted two and a half weeks ago, that showed Clinton with a 26 point lead in the state. That poll was released at the height of the Jeremiah Wright controversy and the day before Obama’s major speech on race in Philadelphia. Obama has been trending upward in national polling and in many state level polls since then and this survey reflects that pattern.

“In the last few weeks there has been increasing attention given to the fact that a continuing divisive Democratic nomination fight could hurt the party’s chances of defeating John McCain this fall,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “The major movement in Obama’s direction in Pennsylvania could be an indication that Democrats in that state think it’s time to wrap it up.”

Obama is narrowing the gap with white voters, trailing just 49-38, while maintaining his customary significant advantage with black voters. He leads that group 75-17. Obama also leads among all age groups except senior citizens, with whom Clinton has a 50-34 advantage. The poll shows the standard gender gap with Obama leading by 15 points among men while trailing by 10 points with women.

PPP surveyed 1224 likely Democratic primary voters on March 31st and April 1st. The survey’s margin of errors is +/- 2.8%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify. Public Policy Polling had the most accurate numbers of any company in the country for the Democratic primaries in South Carolina and Wisconsin, as well as the closest numbers for any organization that polled the contests in both Texas and Ohio.
Complete results can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com.