McCain slightly trails Obama, runs even with Clinton, survey says

WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama has a narrow lead over John McCain in a potential presidential matchup, while Hillary Clinton is about even with the Republican front-runner, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll indicated yesterday.

The survey is the first look at voter sentiment since last week's Super Tuesday presidential contests around the country and Mitt Romney's departure from the GOP race.

Obama led McCain, the likely Republican nominee, in the poll by 48 percent to 42 percent when people were asked which one they would prefer if the presidential race were held now. Clinton got 46 percent to McCain's 45 percent in their matchup.

The poll shows Obama leading Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, 46 percent to 41 percent. McCain is well ahead of Mike Huckabee by 44 percent to 30 percent. Representative Ron Paul of Texas has 9 percent.

The survey was conducted from Thursday through Sunday and has an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Republican front-runner John McCain picked up the endorsements yesterday of prominent antiabortion activist Gary Bauer, US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the president's brother. Looking ahead to the general election, his campaign also notified the Federal Election Commission that he is turning down government matching funds for the primary to free him to raise and spend more money to promote his candidacy until the Republican convention in September.

McCain had asked to participate in the public system last summer when his campaign, his fund-raising, and his poll numbers hit a low point that threatened to unravel his candidacy. Though the FEC declared him eligible to receive $5.8 million in December, the money would not have become available until next month. By accepting the money, moreover, McCain would have been required to limit his spending for the primary to about $54 million - an amount the campaign is close to reaching now.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS - Exit polls during the presidential primaries in Missouri and Tennessee last week say the Democratic Party has some support from white evangelicals, a group strongly associated with the Republican Party.

Commissioned by Faith in Public Life, a nonpartisan resource center, and conducted by Zogby International during the primaries Feb. 5, the surveys were the first to ask Democratic voters if they were evangelical or born-again Christians.

The findings reinforce other surveys showing that Republicans still command most of the support of this voting bloc but by no means have a monopoly on its affections. They also show white evangelical Democrats - like other whites in Missouri and Tennessee - have a decided preference for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama.

REUTERS

There will be one-on-one Democratic debates in both of the big states voting on March 4.

Barack Obama's campaign announced yesterday that he has accepted an invitation for a forum sponsored by CNN, Univision, and the Texas Democratic Party on Feb. 21 in Austin.

"We're pleased that Senator Obama will have the opportunity to debate in Texas and that it will air on Univision, ensuring a wide and diverse audience," Obama's Texas director Adrian Saenz said in a statement. Obama and Hillary Clinton had already agreed to debate on Feb. 26 in Cleveland on NBC. That one would be the 20th of the Democratic campaign.

FOON RHEE

Not many would have predicted it, but the Democratic primary next month in tiny Rhode Island might make a difference.

So a new poll out yesterday is worth noting. Hillary Clinton leads with 36 percent, but Barack Obama is closing ground at 28 percent. Another 27 percent are uncommitted, which is an option on the ballot, and 9 percent are undecided. The same poll in September, sponsored by Brown University, gave Clinton a 35 to 16 percent lead over Obama.

FOON RHEE