Obama up 5 in new Pa. poll

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) continues to hold a narrow lead over U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Pennsylvania, edging his Republican rival by 5 points in the race for the state's 21 electoral votes, according to a new poll.

The Franklin & Marshall College poll, released today, surveyed 641 registered voters from Aug. 4-Aug. 10. While Obama led 44 percent to 36 percent among all survey respondents, he led 46 percent to 41 percent among likely voters. With both candidates securing support from a large majority of their party's voters, Obama's lead, significantly, comes from the support of almost twice the number of Independent voters backing McCain.

Obama leads big among younger voters, non-whites, college graduates, women and Philadelphia residents. With McCain spending huge amounts of time in the state to play up his economic credentials, 55 percent of respondents said McCain would continue President Bush's economic policies.

But with half of respondents also expressing some concern about Obama's relative inexperience, G. Terry Madonna, the Franklin & Marshall pollster, said the survey demonstrates his difficulty in pulling away from a close race.

"He's on third base, but so far he can't seem to find a way to get home," Madonna told The Daily News. "Look at the underlying trends. The economy is a huge issue. Bush's ratings are terrible. But too many voters are concerned about Obama's experience, and don't yet have enough confidence in his ability to lead."