A poll of 1,125 adults conducted for the Washington Post and ABC News has shown a statistical dead heat for the all-important independent vote between Senator Barack Obama and his rival for the presidency Senator John McCain .
The survey, taken over three days from June 12 following Democratic contender Hillary Clinton's withdrawal from the nomination, shows the tightness of the election race as both sides court voters who categorise themselves as neither Republican or Democratic.
According to a Washington Post wrap of the poll, independents see McCain as:
more credible on fighting terrorism [but] are split evenly on who is the stronger leader and better on the Iraq war. But on other key attributes and issues -- including the economy -- Obama has advantages among independents.[source]The survey also showed Obama with a clear lead among those who wished to see change in Washington.
However somewhat surprisingly, independents are less likely to favour a withdrawal from Iraq than other voters, 49 percent as opposed to 55 percent who said they were in favour of a troop withdrawal if if civil order is not restored to the country.
This statistic is a good sign for Senator McCain who has campaigned on a strong troop presence in Iraq and supported President Bush's recent escalation of the number of U.S. soldiers to the srife-torn country.
However while independents gave McCain a slim one point lead over Obama as the stronger leader, 64 percent said they believed Obama would do more to bring change to government, a central theme of both campaigns.
The Obama camp sees convincing the electorate that McCain is "Bush Mark III" as central to the battle for the White House while the Arizona senator is promoting his image as a maverick Republican.
Images above: Republican (left) and Democratic(right) logos.
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Thank God john McCain,is backing us becoming Engerly independer.lot off people will freeze to death this winter because of high prices.they need to get busy drilling.Obama plan will only increase the price.