ALBANY - The race for the White House is a statistical dead heat, according to a new poll.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, leads Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, 46 percent to 41 percent in a survey of 626 registered voters by the Siena Research Institute in upstate Loudonville. The survey, conducted last week, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
"Although New York has long been regarded as a 'safe' state for Democrats in presidential politics, likely voters in the Empire State are currently only giving Senator Obama a five-point cushion," said pollster Steven Greenberg. "The conventions are over. The running mates are set. And as voters begin to focus on the race, New York's overwhelming Democratic enrollment advantage is not reflected in how voters tell Siena they plan to vote."
For every five Democrats in the state, there are only three Republicans.
Asked if Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, was qualified to become president, 47 percent of respondents said "yes" while 41 percent said "no."
In terms of state issues, people were evenly divided, 44 percent to 44 percent, on whether the State Senate should remain in Republican hands. The GOP majority is down to just two seats with Democrats making a strong push to take control of the legislature's upper chamber for the first time in more than 40 years. |
