PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update on registered voters' general election preferences for president finds that John McCain has opened up a slight advantage over Barack Obama, 47% to 44%, while McCain and Hillary Clinton remained tied at 46% each.
Those results are based on interviews with over 4,000 registered voters nationwide conducted March 11-15. This marks the first time since Gallup began reporting these general election results last week that McCain's relative positioning against Obama and Clinton has not been exactly the same. McCain's three percentage point advantage over Obama is not statistically significant, and it remains to be seen if the differentiation between the two Democratic candidates, when pitted against McCain, will continue in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, the race for the Democratic nomination remains close, with Gallup Poll Daily tracking showing that 48% of Democratic voters nationwide prefer Obama and 45% Clinton. This 3-point lead for Obama is the same as Saturday's report, and is not statistically significant. -- Frank Newport
Methodology: 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 11-15, 2008. For results based on this sample of 4,393 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points.
The Democratic nomination results are based on combined data from March 13-15, 2008. For results based on this sample of 1,223 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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