Thanks to increased support from independent voters, Republican John McCain has taken a three-percentage-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama in a new Fox News poll.
Last month’s Fox poll showed Obama holding a one-point lead over McCain among independents. In the new poll, McCain leads by 15 points, 46 percent to 31 percent among independents.
Overall, McCain leads Obama by a margin of 45 percent to 42 percent. Obama led 42 percent to 39 percent in August.
Among independents, 50 percent believe McCain is “very qualified” to be president, compared to 24 percent who feel that way about Obama, Fox News reports.
In a July survey, 51 percent of respondents said they thought Obama would win the election, compared to 27 percent for McCain. In the new poll, the vote is split at 41 percent each.
Half of the voters polled believe McCain made the “smarter choice” in selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate, while 40 percent said Obama made the best choice in picking Joe Biden.
Also, Palin has a higher positive rating than Biden, 54 percent to 51 percent.
The poll of registered voters was conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corp. from Sept. 8 to Sept. 9.
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