Chris Stirewalt
Barack Obama is clinging to a three-point national lead, but his strenuous efforts to win over supporters of Hillary Clinton have had mixed results, according to a new poll taken by Gallup for USA Today.
While 47 percent of Clinton supporters now back Obama, another quarter said they were only tepid in their backing for the Illinoisan. More troubling for Democrats is that 30 percent said they would vote for Republican John McCain, a third-party candidate, or not at all.
A CNN poll on Sunday showed McCain’s support rising among Clinton enthusiasts, from 16 percent in June to 27 percent last week. Almost 80 percent of Democrats were enthusiastic about the selection of Joseph Biden as Obama’s running mate, but among Clinton supporters the number fell to 59 percent.
