Campaign 2008

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Campaign 2008 See also: General election trial heats | Rating the contenders

Polls listed chronologically.

STATE POLLS are in our subscriber area. INFO

Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll. Dec. 6-8, 2008. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"Now turning to some questions about President-elect Barack Obama. First, which of the following comes closer to how you feel about Barack Obama winning the presidential election? Would you say you feel hopeful, or optimistic, or proud, or disappointed, or pessimistic, or afraid?"
			.
		%
	Hopeful	31
	Optimistic	26
	Proud	14
	Afraid	9
	Disappointed	7
	Pessimistic	6
	Other positive (vol.)	2
	Other negative (vol.)	1
	Unsure	3

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Nov. 6-10, 2008. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
					.
"Do any of the following words describe your own personal feelings about the results of the 2008 presidential election, or not? How about [see below]?"
					.
		Does Describe	Does Not Describe	Unsure
					.
		%	%	%
	Hopeful	74	24	2
					.
	Proud	60	38	2
					.
	Excited	51	48	0
					.
	Disappointed	31	68	0
					.
	Surprised	29	71	0
					.
	Depressed	12	87	1
					.
	Angry	11	88	1

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Nov. 5, 2008. N=1,036 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Now, thinking about the outcome of the 2008 presidential election: Do each of the following describe or not describe your reaction to Barack Obama being elected president? How about [see below]?"
					.
		Does Describe	Does Not Describe	Unsure
					.
		%	%	%
	Optimistic	67	30	3
					.
	Proud	67	32	1

					.
	Excited	59	40	1

					.
	Pessimistic	30	64	6
					.
	Afraid	27	72	1
					.
"How do you view Barack Obama's election as president in terms of progress for blacks in the United States -- as the most important advance for blacks in the past one hundred years; as one of the two or three most important advances for blacks in the past one hundred years, but not the most important; important, but not among the most important advances; or not that important?"
					.
		Most Important	One of Most Important	Important, But Not Among Most Important	Not That Important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/5/08	33	38	15	10	4
					.
"As a result of Barack Obama's election, do you think race relations in this country will get a lot better, get a little better, not change, get a little worse, or get a lot worse?" Options rotated
					.
		Get a Lot Better	Get a Little Better	Not Change	Get a Little Worse	Get a Lot Worse
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/5/08	28	42	17	7	3

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2008. Likely voters nationwide.
					.
"Please tell me whether you agree or disagree that each of the following candidates has the personality and leadership qualities a president should have. . . ." N=352 likely voters, MoE ą 5 (Form A)
					.
		Has Qualities	Doesn't Have Qualities	Unsure
		%	%	%
	Barack Obama
	10/30 - 11/1/08	65	34	-
	9/19-21/08	62	37	-
				.
	John McCain
	10/30 - 11/1/08	62	38	-
	9/19-21/08	62	37	1
				.
	Sarah Palin
	10/30 - 11/1/08	37	63	1
	9/19-21/08	47	49	4
				.
	Joe Biden
	10/30 - 11/1/08	67	31	2
	9/19-21/08	55	39	6
					.
"Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with each of the following candidates on the issues that matter the most to you. . . ." N=352 likely voters, MoE ą 5 (Form A)
					.
		Agree	Disagree	Unsure
		%	%	%
	Barack Obama
	10/30 - 11/1/08	60	40	-
	9/19-21/08	56	43	1
				.
	John McCain
	10/30 - 11/1/08	46	54	-
	9/19-21/08	49	49	2
				.
	Sarah Palin
	10/30 - 11/1/08	42	56	1
	9/19-21/08	48	48	4
				.
	Joe Biden
	10/30 - 11/1/08	59	40	2
	9/19-21/08	47	47	6

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Oct. 25-29, 2008. N=1,308 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"If Barack Obama is elected president do you think His policies would make the economy better, make the economy worse or wouldn't his policies have any effect on the economy?"
					.
		Better	Worse	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	54	27	13	6
					.
"If Barack Obama is elected president, do you think his policies will lead to greater U.S. military involvement in Iraq, less U.S. military involvement in Iraq or won't his policies have any effect on U.S. military involvement in Iraq?"
					.
		Greater	Less	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	7	80	9	4
					.
"If Barack Obama is elected president, do you think his policies would result in more people having health care coverage, fewer people having health care coverage or wouldn't his policies have any effect on health care coverage?"
					.
		More	Fewer	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	66	10	18	6
					.
"If Barack Obama is elected president, do you think he will be able to work with members of both parties in order to get things done, or will he not be able to?"
					.
		Will Be	Will Not Be	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	70	26	4
					.
"If he were elected president, do you think Barack Obama would raise taxes on people like yourself, or wouldn't he do that?"
					.
		Would	Would Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	50	44	6
					.
"If he were elected president, do you think Barack Obama would raise taxes on big business, or wouldn't he do that?"
					.
		Would	Would Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	80	15	5
					.
"If he were elected president, do you think Barack Obama would bring about real change in the way things are done in Washington, or wouldn't he do that?"
					.
		Would	Would Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	64	31	5
					.
"Do you think Joe Biden is prepared for the job of vice president, or isn't he?"
					.
		Prepared	Not Prepared	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	74	18	8
	10/3-5/08	75	14	11
	9/27-30/08	70	15	15
	9/12-16/08	74	11	15
					.
"Do you think Sarah Palin is prepared for the job of vice president, or isn't she?"
					.
		Prepared	Not Prepared	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/25-29/08	35	59	6
	10/3-5/08	42	50	8
	9/27-30/08	38	52	10
	9/12-16/08	42	52	6

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Oct. 22-23, 2008. N=1,092 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 4 (for all registered voters).
					.
"If you could vote separately for VICE PRESIDENT, would you be more likely to vote for Joe Biden, the Democrat, or Sarah Palin, the Republican?" Options rotated
					.
		Biden	Palin	Neither/ Other (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	54	37	3	6
	10/8-9/08	53	41	3	3
	9/10-11/08	43	46	3	8
					.
"Which ONE of the following candidate qualities is MOST important in determining your vote for president this year? Can bring the changes this country needs. Positions on major issues. Leadership skills. Cares about people like you. Experience." Options rotated
					.
			10/22-23/08	10/8-9/08
			%	%
	Bring changes country needs		26	25
	Positions on major issues		22	23
	Leadership skills		20	18
	Cares about people like you		15	14
	Experience		14	18
	Other/None of these (vol.)		1	1
	Unsure		2	1
					.
"Please tell me which presidential candidate you think would do a better job handling each of the following issues as president. What about [see below]? Do you think Barack Obama or John McCain would do a better job handling this issue?"
					.
		Obama	McCain	Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The economy and jobs"
	10/22-23/08	56	33	3	4	4
	10/8-9/08	54	35	2	4	5
					.
	"The Iraq war"
	10/22-23/08	47	45	2	2	4
	10/8-9/08	47	46	2	2	3
					.
	"Energy policy and gas prices"
	10/22-23/08	51	36	4	4	5
	10/8-9/08	53	36	2	4	5
					.
	"Terrorism and national security"
	10/22-23/08	40	50	3	3	4
	10/8-9/08	40	50	3	2	5
					.
	"Health care"
	10/22-23/08	58	30	2	4	6
	10/8-9/08	56	30	2	5	7
					.
	"Taxes and government spending"
	10/22-23/08	53	38	1	4	4
	10/8-9/08	50	39	3	4	4
					.
	"Issues like abortion, guns, and same-sex marriage"
	10/22-23/08	47	37	2	4	10
	10/8-9/08	46	39	3	4	8
					.
	"The financial problems on Wall Street and the housing and mortgage crises"
	10/22-23/08	52	32	3	7	6
	10/8-9/08	50	34	3	7	6
					.
"Has John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate made you more likely or less likely to vote for McCain -- or has it not made much difference either way?"
					.
		More Likely	Less Likely	No Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	19	31	49	1
	Republicans	38	9	52	1
	Democrats	6	45	48	1
	Independents	17	34	47	2
					.
	10/8-9/08	29	22	47	2
					.
"Do you think Sarah Palin is qualified to step in as president if she had to?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	40	55	5
	10/8-9/08	39	55	6
	9/10-11/08	45	46	9
					.
"From what you know about Sarah Palin's views on major political issues, do you think she is too conservative, too liberal, or about right?"
					.
		Too Conservative	Too Liberal	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	35	7	42	16
					.
"Do you find Sarah Palin to be personally likeable, or not?"
					.
		Likeable	Not Likeable	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	70	24	6
					.
"Do you think Sarah Palin is well-informed about major domestic and foreign policy issues, or not?"
					.
		Well- Informed	Not Well- Informed	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	35	57	8
					.
"From what you've seen or heard about what Sarah Palin has said on the campaign trail about her Democratic opponents, has she mostly made fair criticisms about policy differences, records, and qualifications, or mostly made unfair personal attacks on her opponents?"
					.
		Fair Criticisms	Unfair Attacks	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	39	47	14
					.
"As you may know, there are news reports that the Republican National Committee spent about $150,000 on new clothes for Sarah Palin and her family from Neiman-Marcus and other upscale stores. Does knowing this make you less likely to see Sarah Palin as a reformer with small town values, or is your opinion of her not much affected?"
					.
		Yes, Less Likely	Not Much Affected	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	27	68	5
					.
"Now, thinking about Barack Obama: From what you know about Obama's views on major political issues, do you think he is too conservative, too liberal, or about right?"
					.
		Too Conservative	Too Liberal	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-23/08	3	34	56	7
					.
I'm going to read you a list of reasons some people say might keep them from voting for Barack Obama. As I read each one, please tell me if this is a major concern that might keep you from voting for Obama, a minor concern, or not a concern. What about [see below]?"
					.
		Major Concern	Minor Concern	Not a Concern	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
					.
	"Obama's policies might lead to socialism or redistribution of wealth"
	10/22-23/08	35	17	44	4
					.
	"Obama's tax policies might hurt small business owners and the jobs situation"
	10/22-23/08	40	19	37	4
					.
	"Obama might not have the experience needed to deal with national security and defense issues"
	10/22-23/08	38	22	37	3
					.
	"Obama might share the views of Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor, on race"
	10/22-23/08	27	19	50	4
					.
	"Obama's association with former 1960s radical Bill Ayers raises doubts about his character"
	10/22-23/08	25	18	54	3
					.
	"A foreign power may try to take advantage of Obama's youth and inexperience early in his presidency"
	10/22-23/08	33	23	41	3

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Oct. 17-19, 2008. N=746 likely voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.5. LV = likely voters. Among registered voters, except where noted.
					.
"Now I'm going to mention a few issues and for each one, please tell me if you think Barack Obama or John McCain would better handle that issue if they were elected president. . . ."
					.
		Obama	McCain	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	"The current financial crisis"
	10/17-19/08 LV	53	39	8	-
	10/3-5/08 LV	52	39	9	-
					.
	"Providing help to the middle class"
	10/17-19/08 LV	60	36	4	-
					.
	"Terrorism"
	10/17-19/08 LV	39	56	4	1
	9/5-7/08	34	62	3	1
	8/29-31/08	40	56	3	-
	8/23-24/08	36	60	3	1
	7/27-29/08	41	56	3	-
	4/28-30/08	37	59	3	1
					.
	"The economy"
	10/17-19/08 LV	55	39	5	-
	9/19-21/08 LV	52	44	3	1
	9/5-7/08	52	44	4	1
	8/29-31/08	53	41	5	-
	8/23-24/08	51	43	4	1
	7/27-29/08	54	43	4	-
	4/28-30/08	53	42	4	1
					.
	"The war in Iraq"
	10/17-19/08 LV	43	53	4	-
	9/5-7/08	42	56	2	-
	8/29-31/08	49	48	2	-
	8/23-24/08	44	53	3	1
	7/27-29/08	45	52	2	-
	4/28-30/08	44	53	2	1
					.
	"Health care"
	10/17-19/08 LV	57	37	6	1
	9/19-21/08 LV	56	40	3	-
	9/5-7/08	56	39	4	1
	8/29-31/08	61	34	5	-
	8/23-24/08	57	37	5	1
	7/27-29/08	56	39	4	1
	4/28-30/08	57	36	5	1
					.
	"Taxes"
	10/17-19/08 LV	50	44	5	1
	9/5-7/08	46	49	4	1
	8/29-31/08	50	46	4	-
	8/23-24/08	48	47	4	1
	7/27-29/08	51	45	4	-
	4/28-30/08	48	46	4	1
					.
	"Energy policy"
	10/17-19/08 LV	53	43	3	1
	9/5-7/08	48	46	5	1
					.
"Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one applies more to Barack Obama or more to John McCain. . . ."
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
					.
	"Has the right experience to be president"
	10/17-19/08 LV	36	54	6	4	-
	9/19-21/08 LV	38	55	4	2	-
	9/5-7/08	29	61	3	6	1
	8/29-31/08	34	58	3	5	-
	8/23-24/08	30	60	2	7	1
					.
	"Is a strong and decisive leader"
	10/17-19/08 LV	45	47	5	3	-
	9/5-7/08	37	56	5	3	-
	8/29-31/08	44	49	3	3	-
	8/23-24/08	41	51	3	4	1
					.
	"Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems"
	10/17-19/08 LV	48	35	2	14	1
	9/5-7/08	40	42	2	14	1
	8/29-31/08	48	37	1	13	-
	8/23-24/08	42	39	1	17	1
					.
	"Can bring the kind of change the country needs"
	10/17-19/08 LV	54	39	2	4	-
	9/19-21/08 LV	56	41	-	3	-
	9/5-7/08	49	41	1	8	1
	8/29-31/08	57	35	2	6	-
	8/23-24/08	54	36	1	8	1
					.
	"Did the best job in the debates"
	10/17-19/08 LV	62	26	4	6	3
					.
	"Is not a typical politician"
	10/17-19/08 LV	50	30	8	11	1
					.
	"Is someone you would be proud to have as president"
	10/17-19/08 LV	47	41	6	5	-
					.
"How confident are you that, across the country, the votes for president will be accurately cast and counted in this year's election: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?"
					.
		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not Too Confident	Not at All Confident
		%	%	%	%
	10/17-19/08 LV	19	39	26	16

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 16-18, 2008. N=995 likely voters nationwide. MoE ą 3. LV = likely voters. RV = registered voters.
					.
"Regardless of who you may support, who do you think [see below]: Obama or McCain?" Candidate names rotated
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"Is more optimistic"
	10/16-18/08 LV	62	30	4	2	2
	8/19-22/08 LV	65	27	4	1	2
					.
	"Has a better personality and temperament to be president"
	10/16-18/08 LV	54	37	6	2	1
	9/27-29/08 LV	57	37	2	2	1
	9/5-7/08 RV	57	35	3	2	3
	5/8-11/08 RV	55	34	4	3	4
	2/28 - 3/2/08 RV	59	29	2	4	7
					.
"Regardless of your vote preference, does Obama's choice of Biden as his running mate make you more confident or less confident in the kind of decisions Obama would make as president?"
					.
		More Confident	Less Confident	No Effect (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/16-18/08 LV	56	31	11	3
	9/5-7/08 LV	55	29	12	5
					.
"Regardless of your vote preference, does McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate make you more confident or less confident in the kind of decisions McCain would make as president?"
					.
		More Confident	Less Confident	No Effect (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/16-18/08 LV	38	52	8	2
	9/5-7/08 LV	50	39	6	4
					.
"Do you think [see below] is or is not a legitimate issue in this year's presidential election?"
					.
		Legitimate	Not Legitimate	Unsure
		%	%	%
					.
	"Obama's past relationship with 1960s radical William Ayers"
	10/16-18/08 LV	37	60	3
					.
	"The Obama campaign's association with the community group ACORN"
	10/16-18/08 LV	40	49	11

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 16, 2008. N=729 adults nationwide who watched the Oct. 15 presidential debate. MoE ą 4. Trend based on Sept. 26 and Oct. 7 debate-watchers.
					.
"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the better job in last night's debate: John McCain or Barack Obama?" Names rotated
					.
		McCain	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Both Equally (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/16/08	30	56	3	9	3
	10/8/08	23	56	4	15	2
	9/27/08	34	46	4	13	3
					.
"How has your opinion of the candidates been affected by the debate? Is your opinion of [see below] more favorable, less favorable, or has it not changed much?" Names rotated
					.
		More Favorable	Less Favorable	Not Changed Much	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	John McCain
	10/16/08	21	29	49	1
	10/8/08	12	33	54	1
	9/27/08	21	21	56	2
					.
	Barack Obama
	10/16/08	37	15	47	1
	10/8/08	34	12	53	1
	9/27/08	30	14	54	1

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Oct. 15, 2008. N=620 adults nationwide who watched the presidential debate. MoE ą 4. Per CNN: "Survey respondents were first interviewed as part of a random national sample on October 13-14, 2008. In those interviews, respondents indicated they planned to watch tonight's debate and were willing to be re-interviewed after the debate. Some questions were asked of each respondent both in the pre-debate questionnaire on October 13-14 and on tonight's questionnaire. Where applicable, results for tonight's respondents from both the pre-debate survey and the post-debate survey are reported. 30% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 40% identified themselves as Democrats, and 29% identified themselves as independents." Oct. 7, 2008, debate-watchers survey: ", , , 31% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 38% identified themselves as Democrats, and 30% identified themselves as independents." Sept. 26, 2008, debate-watchers survey: ". . . 27% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 41% identified themselves as Democrats, and 30% identified themselves as independents."
					.
"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate: Barack Obama or John McCain?"
					.
		Obama	McCain	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/15/08	58	31	2	8	1
	10/7/08	54	30	4	11	1
	9/26/08	51	38	2	9	1
					.
"Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Barack Obama?"
					.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/15/08	66	33	1
	10/13-14/08	63	35	2
					.
	10/7/08	64	34	2
	10/3-6/08	60	38	2
					.
"Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of John McCain?"
					.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/15/08	49	49	2
	10/13-14/08	51	45	3
					.
	10/7/08	51	46	2
	10/3-6/08	51	46	3
					.
"Next, regardless of which presidential candidate you support, please tell me if you think Barack Obama or John McCain would better handle each of the following issues. . . ."
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The economy in general" 10/7 and 9/26: "The economy"
	10/15/08	59	35	2	2	1
	10/7/08	59	37	1	2	-
	9/26/08	58	37	2	2	1
					.
	"The current financial crisis"
	10/15/08	56	35	3	4	2
	10/7/08	57	36	3	4	1
	9/26/08	54	36	4	4	2
					.
	"Health care"
	10/15/08	62	31	3	2	2
					.
	"Taxes"
	10/15/08	56	41	1	1	1
					.
"Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one better described Barack Obama or John McCain during tonight's debate. . . ."
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"Was more likeable"
	10/15/08	70	22	6	1	1
	10/7/08	65	28	6	2	-
	9/26/08	61	26	11	2	-
					.
	"Expressed his views more clearly"
	10/15/08	66	25	7	1	1
	10/7/08	60	30	9	2	-
	9/26/08	53	36	10	-	-
					.
	"Seemed to be the stronger leader"
	10/15/08	56	39	3	-	1
	10/7/08	54	43	2	1	-
	9/26/08	49	43	6	1	1
					.
	"Seemed more like a typical politician"
	10/15/08	35	54	9	2	1
	10/7/08	36	52	9	2	1
					.
	"Spent more time attacking his opponent"
	10/15/08	7	80	10	2	1
	10/7/08	17	63	17	2	1
	9/26/08	23	60	15	2	1
					.
"How much does Barack Obama's connection with William Ayers matter to you: a great deal, somewhat, not much or not at all?"
					.
		A Great Deal	Somewhat	Not Much	Not at All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/15/08	23	14	11	51	1
					.
"Would you like to see Barack Obama and John McCain participate in additional debates between now and election day, or do you think three presidential debates is enough?"
					.
		Want More Debates	Three Is Enough	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/15/08	32	67	1

Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll. Oct. 10-13, 2008. N=1,446 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all registered voters).
					.
"Does Sarah Palin's presence on the ballot as a candidate for vice president, make you more or less likely to vote for John McCain for president, or does it not make a difference either way?"
					.
		More Likely	Less Likely	No Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	22	27	50	1
	Democrats	7	41	51	2
	Independents	19	31	49	1
	Republicans	48	3	48	1
					.
"Do you think Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is qualified to become president of the United States if something happens to John McCain, or is she not qualified?"
					.
		Qualified	Not Qualified	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	43	49	8
					.
"Do you think Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is qualified to become president of the United States if something happens to Barack Obama, or is he not qualified?"
					.
		Qualified	Not Qualified	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	76	13	11
					.
"Now turning back to the candidates running for president. I am going to mention a few things that voters think about when deciding who to vote for in an election. Regardless of your choice for president, please tell me, for each issue I mention, what you think about Barack Obama and John McCain. First, do you think Barack Obama has the right experience to be president, or not?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	49	42	9
	8/15-18/08	44	48	8
					.
"Do you think John McCain has the right experience to be president, or not?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	80	14	6
	8/15-18/08	80	14	6
					.
"Who do you think will substantially change the way things are done in Washington: Barack Obama or John McCain?"
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	51	26	5	13	5
	8/15-18/08	51	16	6	22	5
					.
"Who do you think would be best at achieving success in Iraq: Barack Obama or John McCain?"
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	38	49	3	5	5
	8/15-18/08	36	43	4	11	6
					.
"Who do you think cares more about people like you: Barack Obama or John McCain?"
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/08	47	31	7	9	6
	8/15-18/08	41	28	13	12	6

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 10-12, 2008. N=1,269 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"If [see below] is elected president, are you confident that he and his economic advisors can fix the economy, or not?"
					.
		Yes, Confident	No, Not Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%
					.	.
	Barack Obama
	10/10-12/08	44	50	6
					.	.
	John McCain
	10/10-12/08	31	63	6
					.
"Regardless of which presidential candidate you support, please tell me if you think Barack Obama or John McCain would better handle each of the following issues. How about [see below]?"
					.
		Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
					.	.
	"The economy"
	10/10-12/08	53	39	3	6
					.	.
	"Terrorism"
	10/10-12/08	39	55	1	5
					.	.
	"The situation in Iraq"
	10/10-12/08	46	50	-	4
					.	.
	"Healthcare policy"
	10/10-12/08	61	32	1	6
					.	.
	"Energy, including gas prices"
	10/10-12/08	52	40	2	6
					.	.
	"Taxes"
	10/10-12/08	52	40	2	6
					.	.
	"Gun policy"
	10/10-12/08	38	50	1	10
					.
"Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each applies or doesn't apply to Barack Obama. How about [see below]?"
					.
		Applies	Doesn't Apply	Unsure	.
		%	%	%	.
					.	.
	"Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives"
	10/10-12/08	73	26	1	.
					.	.
	"Is a strong and decisive leader"
	10/10-12/08	61	37	2	.
					.	.
	"Shares your values"
	10/10-12/08	58	40	2	.
					.	.
	"Can manage the government effectively"
	10/10-12/08	55	41	4	.
					.	.
	"Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems"
	10/10-12/08	51	46	3	.
					.
"Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each applies or doesn't apply to John McCain. How about [see below]?"
					.
		Applies	Doesn't Apply	Unsure	.
		%	%	%	.
					.	.
	"Is a strong and decisive leader"
	10/10-12/08	63	35	2	.
					.	.
	"Can manage the government effectively"
	10/10-12/08	55	43	2	.
					.	.
	"Shares your values"
	10/10-12/08	50	47	3	.
					.	.
	"Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives"
	10/10-12/08	48	50	2	.
					.	.
	"Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems"
	10/10-12/08	35	61	4	.
					.
"How concerned are you that, as president, John McCain would pursue policies that are too similar to what George W. Bush has pursued: very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?"
					.
		Very Concerned	Somewhat Concerned	Not Too Concerned	Not Concerned At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/10-12/08	46	20	17	16	1
	9/5-7/08	42	21	21	16	-
	8/30-31/08	47	17	17	17	1
	6/15-19/08	49	19	16	15	1
					.
"How concerned are you that Barack Obama lacks the experience needed to be an effective president: very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?"
					.
		Very Concerned	Somewhat Concerned	Not Too Concerned	Not Concerned At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/10-12/08	39	18	18	25	-
	9/5-7/08	38	18	17	26	1
	8/30-31/08	31	19	18	29	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 8-11, 2008. N=945 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all registered voters). RV = registered voters. Among adults, except where noted.
					.
"Regardless of who you may support, who do you trust more to handle [see below]: Obama or McCain?" Candidate names rotated
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The economy"
	10/8-11/08 RV	53	37	1	7	2
	9/27-29/08 RV	50	43	1	3	2
	9/5-7/08 RV	47	42	1	4	6
	7/10-13/08	54	35	2	6	3
	6/12-15/08	52	36	2	5	5
	5/8-11/08	48	38	2	8	4
	2/28 - 3/2/08	49	37	2	6	6
					.
	"Helping the middle class"
	10/8-11/08 RV	59	31	1	6	2
					.
	"The war in Iraq"Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	48	47	1	4	1
	9/27-29/08 RV	45	50	1	3	1
	9/5-7/08 RV	41	51	1	2	4
	7/10-13/08	45	47	1	4	3
	6/12-15/08	46	47	-	3	4
	5/8-11/08	46	45	1	5	3
	2/28 - 3/2/08	43	48	1	4	5
					.
	"Taxes" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	52	41	1	5	2
	9/27-29/08 RV	48	46	-	3	3
	9/5-7/08 RV	45	44	-	4	7
	6/12-15/08	48	40	1	6	6
					.
	"Protecting the Social Security system" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	51	34	2	9	4
					.
	"The U.S. campaign against terrorism"Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	43	49	2	4	3
	9/27-29/08 RV	44	52	1	2	2
	9/5-7/08 RV	36	56	2	2	4
	7/10-13/08	43	49	2	4	1
	6/12-15/08	39	53	2	3	4
	5/8-11/08	34	55	4	4	3
	2/28 - 3/2/08	33	58	2	3	5
					.
	"Health care" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	59	30	1	6	4
					.
	"An unexpected major crisis" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	48	45	2	4	1
	9/27-29/08 RV	44	50	1	2	3
	9/5-7/08 RV	37	54	2	3	3
	7/10-13/08	41	50	3	3	3
					.
"Regardless of who you may support, who do you think [see below]: Obama or McCain?" Candidate names rotated
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"Better understands the economic problems people in this country are having"
	10/8-11/08 RV	58	28	3	10	2
	9/27-29/08 RV	55	36	3	5	1
					.
	"Would do more to bring needed change to Washington" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	61	29	2	7	2
	9/27-29/08 RV	61	33	1	3	2
	9/5-7/08 RV	51	39	-	5	5
					.
	"Is the stronger leader" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	54	40	1	3	2
	9/27-29/08 RV	49	45	1	2	2
	9/5-7/08 RV	44	48	2	1	5
					.
	"Would do more to stand up to lobbyists and special interest groups" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	47	39	3	7	4
					.
	"Is more honest and trustworthy" Half sample
	10/8-11/08 RV	44	40	5	9	3
					.
"So far during this campaign, do you think [see below] has been mainly attacking his opponent or mainly addressing the issues?"
					.
		Attacking Opponent	Addressing Issues	Unsure
		%	%	%
	Barack Obama
	10/8-11/08	26	68	6
	8/19-22/08	29	64	8
					.
	John McCain
	10/8-11/08	59	35	6
	8/19-22/08	48	45	7
					.
"Thinking about his candidacy for president so far, how enthusiastic are you about [see below]: very enthusiastic, fairly enthusiastic, not too enthusiastic, or not enthusiastic at all?"
					.
		Very Enthusiastic	Fairly Enthusiastic	Not Too Enthusiastic	Not Enthusiastic At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	Obama Asked of Obama supporters/leaners
	10/8-11/08 RV	63	30	3	3	-
	9/27-29/08 RV	61	34	4	-	1
	9/5-7/08 RV	64	32	3	1	0
	8/19-22/08 RV	52	43	2	3	-
					.
	McCain Asked of McCain supporters/leaners
	10/8-11/08 RV	29	58	12	2	0
	9/27-29/08 RV	38	52	7	2	-
	9/5-7/08 RV	46	46	6	2	0
	8/19-22/08 RV	28	58	11	2	1

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Oct. 8-9, 2008. N=1,035 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.7.
					.
"If elected, which ticket do you think is MOST likely to bring about the changes this country needs: Barack Obama and Joe Biden, or John McCain and Sarah Palin?" Options rotated
					.
		Obama/Biden	McCain/Palin	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/8-9/08	52	37	1	4	6
	9/10-11/08	47	42	1	5	5
					.
"Please tell me whether or not you think each of the following phrases describes JOHN MCCAIN. What about [see below]? Does this describe McCain or not?"
					.
		Does Describe	Does Not Describe	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"Shares your values"
	10/8-9/08	47	49	4
					.
	"Would fit in well with people in your local community"
	10/8-9/08	54	40	6
					.
	"Is honest and trustworthy"
	10/8-9/08	54	40	6
					.
	"Has the right judgment and temperament to make a good president"
	10/8-9/08	51	43	6
					.
	"Will stand up for what's right, even if it's not politically popular"
	10/8-9/08	60	34	6
					.
	"Can bring the country together"
	10/8-9/08	42	51	7
					.
"If John McCain is elected president, do you think he would mostly carry out the policies of George W. Bush or would mostly have different policies?"
					.
		Bush Policies	Different Policies	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/8-9/08	48	47	5
	9/10-11/08	47	48	5
					.
"Please tell me whether or not you think each of the following phrases describes BARACK OBAMA. What about [see below]? Does this describe Obama or not?"
					.
		Does Describe	Does Not Describe	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"Shares your values"
	10/8-9/08	59	37	4
					.
	"Would fit in well with people in your local community"
	10/8-9/08	63	31	6
					.
	"Is honest and trustworthy"
	10/8-9/08	62	31	7
					.
	"Has the right judgment and temperament to make a good president"
	10/8-9/08	66	28	6
					.
	"Will stand up for what's right, even if it's not politically popular"
	10/8-9/08	57	36	7
					.
	"Can bring the country together"
	10/8-9/08	62	32	6
					.
"From what you know about Barack Obama, do you think he has enough experience in politics and government to be a good president, or not?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/8-9/08	53	43	4
	9/10-11/08	47	46	7
	5/21-22/08	44	49	7
					.
"In general, do you think the national news media's coverage of Sarah Palin has been fair overall, too critical, or not critical enough?"
					.
		Fair Overall	Too Critical	Not Critical Enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/8-9/08	30	41	24	5
					.
"Now, thinking about the tone of the campaigns run by the major party candidates this year, which -- if any -- do you think has been TOO NEGATIVE OR NASTY: [see below]?"
					.
		McCain/ Palin	Obama/ Biden	Both	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/8-9/08	39	10	31	17	3
					.
"Have you personally seen any TV ads for JOHN McCAIN in recent weeks?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/8-9/08	71	28	1
					.
	Among registered voters who have seen McCain ads: "Based on the ads you've seen, in general, do you think the McCain ads [see below], or not?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
					.
	"Are too negative"
	10/8-9/08	56	41	3
					.
	"Are misleading or distorted"
	10/8-9/08	58	37	5
					.
	"Provide useful information"
	10/8-9/08	34	63	3
					.
"Have you personally seen any TV ads for BARACK OBAMA in recent weeks?"
					.
		Yes	No
		%	%
	10/8-9/08	73	27
					.
	Among registered voters who have seen Obama ads: "Based on the ads you've seen, in general, do you think the Obama ads [see below], or not?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
					.
	"Are too negative"
	10/8-9/08	29	68	3
					.
	"Are misleading or distorted"
	10/8-9/08	36	57	7
					.
	"Provide useful information"
	10/8-9/08	56	41	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Oct. 8-9, 2008. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Regardless of how you might vote, which candidate do you trust more to handle the following issues: Barack Obama or John McCain? . . ."
					.
		Obama	McCain	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The situation in Iraq"
	10/8-9/08	42	47	2	3	6
					.
	"Health care"
	10/8-9/08	52	32	2	7	7
					.
	"The economy"
	10/8-9/08	50	35	2	7	6
					.
	"The war on terrorism"
	10/8-9/08	37	51	3	2	6
					.
	"Energy independence"
	10/8-9/08	45	40	2	5	7
					.
	"Taxes"
	10/8-9/08	46	41	1	6	6
					.
	"Cutting government spending"
	10/8-9/08	42	40	2	10	6

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 8, 2008. N=735 adults nationwide who watched the Oct. 7 presidential debate. MoE ą 4. Trend based on Sept. 26 debate-watchers.
					.
"Based on what you saw or read about the debate, which candidate offered the best proposals for change to solve the country's problems: Barack Obama or John McCain?" Names rotated
					.
		McCain	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/8/08	32	53	10	4
	9/27/08	35	52	8	5
					.
"As a result of the debate, do you now have more confidence, less confidence or the same amount of confidence in [see below] to deal with the economic problems facing the country?" Names rotated
					.
		More Confidence	Less Confidence	Same Amount	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	John McCain
	10/8/08	17	43	38	2
	9/27/08	23	37	38	2
					.
	Barack Obama
	10/8/08	33	24	40	2
	9/27/08	34	26	38	2
					.
"As a result of the debate, do you now have more confidence, less confidence or the same amount of confidence in [see below] to deal with matters of national defense and foreign policy?" Names rotated
					.
		More Confidence	Less Confidence	Same Amount	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	John McCain
	10/8/08	25	30	43	3
	9/27/08	34	27	37	2
					.
	Barack Obama
	10/8/08	33	27	38	2
	9/27/08	35	29	34	3

Earlier polling on Campaign 2008

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