Polls Find Clinton Enjoys Narrow Lead Over Obama In Pennsylvania Primary

April 12, 2008 7:55 a.m. EST

Philadelphia, PA (AHN) - On the last stretch of campaigns for the Pennsylvania Democratic primaries, two independent poll results show that Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton (D-NY) enjoys only a narrow lead over rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).

Polls from Philadelphia-based Temple University and New York-based Newsmax/Zogby released Friday were one in concluding that the April 22 primary is still a close race, with Clinton and Obama enjoying alternate leads in different demographic groups.

The Newsmax/Zogby count had Clinton with 47 percent support and Obama 43 percent among 1,002 likely primary voters, while The Temple poll pegged Clinton with an initial lead against Obama by 44 to 35 percent.

Temple conducted the sampling on 583 possible voters from March 27 to April 9 and crunches Clinton's lead to 47 over Obama's 41 percent if the "undecided" votes were factored in.

Nevertheless, both polls stressed that the race factor plays a significant role in the contest.

Newsmax/Zogby reported Obama leading Clinton among African American voters, 77 percent to 21 percent. But among whites, Clinton leads by a 53 percent to 36 percent margin.

Among white men, the Temple poll found Obama leads that group, 40 percent against Clinton's 35 percent.

"White men stand out as the group with the most ambivalence about the candidates, as a group and individually. That is certainly the reason the candidates have focused so much of their attention on white men in recent weeks," Temple's Public Affairs Director Michael Hagen said in a statement.