Dems near McCain in Ohio - Cinc'y Inquirer

Clinton's lead in primary narrows
ENQUIRER STAFF REPORTS

Either Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton would have a tight battle on their hands winning Ohio in the fall against Republican John McCain, although Obama might have a slight advantage, according to a new Ohio Poll.

The Ohio Poll comes as other polling shows Clinton's once formidable lead over Obama in the Ohio Democratic primary continuing to shrink.

The poll, conducted by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research, shows that an Obama-McCain match-up today would be a virtual dead heat - 48 percent of the 1,049 registered voters surveyed said they would support Obama, while 47 percent said they would vote for McCain.

Against Clinton, McCain came out with a 4 percentage-point advantage, with 51 percent to Clinton's 47 percent. The poll, conducted last Thursday to Sunday, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points - so both results are within the margin of error.

Two new polls out Tuesday show Obama erasing much of what was once a double-digit Clinton lead in Ohio. A poll from Rasmussen Reports showed Clinton with the support of 49.3 percent of Ohio Democratic voters, compared to 42.5 percent for Obama. A Survey USA poll conducted for four Ohio TV stations, including WCPO in Cincinnati, showed Clinton with a 6-point lead - 50 percent to 44 percent.