Should Pollsters Include Hillary Clinton in Pre-Convention Surveys?

Hillary Clinton’s supporters have reportedly been emailing pollsters to suggest that since Obama has been faring so poorly in recent match ups with John McCain they should consider matching Clinton with the Republican presumptive nominee, as she just might prove to be the stronger candidate in the final days leading up to the Democratic convention.

The persistent Clintonites argue that since neither Obama nor Clinton has the minimum required delegate numbers, there is currently still no certified nominee, and it’s therefore not too late for the party to change its mind.

The just released Pew Poll confirms a major slip in Obama’s numbers compared to McCain’s. As reported by Brian Faler at Bloomberg:

“The U.S. presidential race is a tossup as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has lost what was once an eight-point lead over Republican rival John McCain, according to a new poll.

“The Washington-based Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said today that Obama now leads McCain 46 percent to 43 percent among registered voters, down from June when the Illinois senator enjoyed a 48 to 40 advantage. His lead narrowed to five points in July, the survey said.

“The nonpartisan group attributed the shift to McCain's progress winning over core Republican voters, including white evangelical Protestants along with white working class voters. By contrast, the poll said, Obama has made ``little progress'' expanding his support among Democrats over the past two months.

‘“Obama has made ‘no significant headway’ among Hillary Clinton's former supporters, with 72 percent of them saying they now back Obama. That's unchanged from last month and 3 percentage points higher than in June, Pew said.”’

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