CNN Poll Shows Dead Heat, No Game Changers Yet

Susan Davis reports from St. Paul, Minn. on the presidential race. The latest CNN/Opinion Research Poll released today suggests the addition of running mates has not fundamentally changed the presidential race between John McCain and Barack Obama , who is holding a statistically insignificant 49%-48% lead over McCain. Some 41% of voters said they have either neither heard of, or have no opinion of, McCain’s running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin –a notably high figure for a national candidate. Yet 38% said they had a favorable view of the governor while 21% had an unfavorable view. A majority, 52%, rated McCain’s selection of Palin as either an ‘excellent’ or ‘pretty good’ choice for the vice presidency, while 46% said she was either ‘only fair’ or a ‘poor’ choice for the office. By comparison, the same poll reported last week that 54% of voters said Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was a good choice for Obama, while 42% gave him less favorable ratings. With Palin on the ticket, ... (link)