Obama Takes the Lead in N.H.

The Pollster
Obama Takes the Lead in N.H.

By Jon Cohen
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has jumped to a double-digit lead in New Hampshire with two days to go, neutralizing New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's onetime advantage among female voters, according to two state polls released today.

The Illinois senator holds a 10-point edge in the new CNN-WMUR poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire and a 13-point bulge over Clinton in the new USA Today-Gallup poll. Both surveys report a large boost in support for Obama since he won the Iowa caucuses on Thursday.

More respondents in both polls now call Obama the candidate with the best shot at winning in November, a dramatic turnaround from before last week's caucuses, when Clinton was widely perceived as the most electable Democrat.

Another change from previous polls, is that Obama now runs evenly with Clinton among women; he holds a 2-1 advantage among men. (In Iowa, 35 percent of female Democratic caucus-goers supported Obama, 30 percent Clinton, according to the network entrance poll.)

Among GOP candidates, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) leads former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by six points in the CNN-WMUR poll and four points in the USA Today-Gallup poll.