Obama Slightly Ahead in Head-to-Head, with Advantage on Economy

Current Poll | September 16, 2008

New York, NY - The Diageo/Hotline Daily Tracker Poll finds a slight upturn for the Obama-Biden ticket in the contest for the Presidency. In today's Poll, Obama-Biden is at 46% and McCain-Palin is at 42%, with 10% of voters undecided.

General Election Ballot: McCain-Palin vs. Obama-Biden*

Spotlight on the Economy

In the wake of Monday's crisis on Wall Street, voters continue to say that the economy is the top issue facing the country, with a vast plurality (39%) saying this. Obama continues to have an advantage over McCain on his perceived performance on the economy by an 11-point margin, with McCain dropping slightly on his perceived performance since the September 15 Poll.

Who would do best job handling the economy?*

In the head-to-head, Obama-Biden enjoys a solid 9-point lead over McCain-Palin among those who say that the economy is the top issue facing the country (48% - 39%). Obama also enjoys an 8-point lead over McCain in favorability among those who say the economy is the top issue (58% - 50%).

And, among this group of voters, 57% say that Obama "better understands the needs and priorities of people like yourself," compared to 33% saying the same for McCain.

That said, in terms of "preparedness to lead," among those that say the economy is the top issue, McCain maintains a 9-point advantage over Obama (48% - 39%). The GOP vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, fares less well than McCain among voters that say the economy is the top issue, with 44% saying Palin is "prepared" to lead should McCain become unable to, and 54% saying she is "unprepared" to lead.