PRINCETON, NJ -- Barack Obama continues to hold a five percentage point, 49% to 44%, advantage over Hillary Clinton in national Democratic voters' nomination preferences.
Obama's current margin, based on Gallup Poll Daily tracking interviews conducted April 2-4, is unchanged from Friday's release. The major election news from Friday, April 4, was the release of Hillary and Bill Clinton's tax returns for the past eight years, showing combined income of over $100 million during that time period. What impact, if any, this information will have on Democratic voters' preferences will become clearer in the days ahead. (To view the complete trend since Jan. 3, 2008, click here.)
Registered voters' preferences in the general election have shifted slightly, to the point where Obama now ties the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, at 45% support each, among national registered voters, while McCain edges out Clinton by a 47% to 45% margin. Both trial heats have shown a close race since the tracking program began on March 7, with McCain usually holding a slight lead. The current Obama-McCain 45% to 45% tie marks one of the few times when McCain's support has dropped to the point where he has been equal to the support of either Democratic candidate. -- Frank Newport
Survey Methods
Gallup is interviewing no fewer than 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide each day during 2008.
The general election results are based on combined data from March 31 -April 4, 2008. For results based on this sample of 4,407 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points.
The Democratic nomination results are based on combined data from April 2-4, 2008. For results based on this sample of 1,221 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
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