All eyes are turned toward Tuesday's Indiana and North Carolina primaries, even more so because Barack Obama has suffered a bitterly significant erosion of support among Democrats and Independents due to PastorGate, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.
In the USA TODAY survey, taken Thursday through Saturday, Clinton leads Obama among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by 7 percentage points, the first time in three months she has been ahead. Two weeks ago, before the controversy over comments by Jeremiah Wright reignited, Obama led by 10 points.
In February, Democrats and Democratic leaners by 33 points said Obama had a better shot at beating Republican John McCain in November. Clinton is now seen as the stronger candidate by 5 points. One-third of likely voters say Obama's ties to Wright make them less likely to vote for him. . The survey makes it clear the Wright controversy has grabbed public attention. Eight of 10 Americans have been following it, most of them closely.
One in four Americans who are following the controversy say their "best guess" is that Obama agrees with Wright's views, even though the senator has said repeatedly he finds them offensive and wrong.
Update #1: 24 Hours Till Votes Are Counted -- Final SUSA Indiana Clinton 54 to Obama 42
Update #2: InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Survey in North Carolina: Obama 48%; Clinton 45%; --Tied Within Margin of Error
Jeremiah Wright Hillary Clinton Barack Obama Democratic Primary News Race Class Gender Politics PastorGate Indiana North Carolina
