Obama Takes Clear Lead in WashingtonPost/ABC Poll; National Average Shows a Tie

Posting at the Swamp (Chicago Tribune), Mark Silva reports the results of the latest WashingonPost/ABC poll:

“Fears of an economic slide have given Democrat Barack Obama a lift, with polls showing that voters trust Obama more than Republican rival John McCain to handle the economic crisis at hand.

“The newest gauge of this impact of a struggling economy on a close presidential contest is the survey reported today by ABC News and the Washington Post.

“It portrays Obama as gaining a 9-percentage-point advantage over McCain among likely voters surveyed nationally - the first time a pre-election poll by this consortium has found a Democrat drawing more than 50 percent of those surveyed. The margin: Obama 52 percent, McCain 43 percent.”

Keep in mind the latest daily tracking polls continue to show the race between Obama and McCain a dead heat with Gallup giving Obama a lead of +3 points and Rasmussen giving him a lead of +2 points. According to RealClearPolitics, Obama’s national average gives him a lead of only 3.2 points.