PRINCETON, NJ -- Barack Obama has edged up in the preferences of national Democratic voters, and now has a 48% to 44% advantage over Hillary Clinton.
Obama's four percentage point advantage in today's March 24-26 average is his largest in Gallup Poll Daily tracking since he led Clinton by 50% to 44% in the March 11-13 average. (To view the complete trend since Jan. 3, 2008, click here.)
Voters' preferences in two hypothetical November general election matchups remain close, with John McCain at 47% to Clinton's 44%, and McCain's 45% to Obama's 44%. The difference between McCain's 3-point advantage over Clinton as opposed to his 1-point advantage over Obama is not statistically significant, but marks one of the few times when the two races have not had either identical gaps or gaps only a point different. -- Frank Newport
Survey Methods
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 21-22 and March 24-26, 2008. For results based on this sample of 4,420 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points.
The Democratic nomination results are based on data from March 24-26, 2008. For results based on this sample of 1,236 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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