Polls

Civitas:

Race once tied, now McCain trails by 5 points

Raleigh, N.C. – Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has opened up a 5 point lead in the race for President in North Carolina according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.

According to the live telephone survey of 600 likely General Election voters, Obama leads McCain 46-39 among those who initially voiced support for a candidate. However, when undecided voters are asked which way they lean, Obama’s lead shrinks to 48-43. Libertarian candidate Bob Barr receives two percent of the vote. Seven percent of voters remained undecided.

“The amount of money Obama is spending on television in North Carolina is finally paying dividends,” said Francis De Luca, Executive Director of the Civitas Institute. “Obama’s ability to capitalize on the financial crisis and to outspend McCain in North Carolina gives him a strong advantage.”

Obama’s advantage comes from his increased share of unaffiliated voters where he has now opened up a 9 point lead (49-40). He has also begun to solidify his base Democratic vote, shaving the percentage of Democrats voting for McCain down from 22% two weeks ago to 17% this week.

“One of the theories we’ve advanced is that for Obama to win North Carolina he needed to obtain 37% of the white voters. In this poll he is now receiving that amount,” added De Luca. “McCain has a lot of ground to make up and not much time to do so.”