Poll: Obama's lead shrinking in Massachusetts
THE RACE: The presidential race in Massachusetts
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THE NUMBERS
Barack Obama, 47 percent
John McCain, 38 percent
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OF INTEREST:
Democrat Barack Obama's nine point lead over Republican John McCain in Massachusetts is a sharp fall from the 23-point lead he enjoyed in June. McCain was able to make gains among Western Massachusetts voters, men, middle-aged voters and independents. Despite Obama's shrinking lead, 54 percent of voters believed he would be the next president, compared with just 30 percent who said McCain and 17 percent undecided. Those numbers mirrored the earlier poll. Voters also largely rejected the notion that Obama was too arrogant and was premature in taking a highly publicized trip to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe. While 32 percent said the trip was premature and showed arrogance, 62 percent said the trip was necessary for Obama to learn about problems in other countries.
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The WHDH-TV and Suffolk University poll was conducted from July 31-Aug. 3, and included interviews with 400 registered voters. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
