Obama Fares 17 Points Better Than Clinton in Wisconsin vs. McCain

A new SurveyUSA poll on the eve of the Wisconsin primary shows Democrat Barack Obama to be currently a much more competitive opponent of Republican John McCain than is Hillary Clinton in the Badger State.

In a head-to-head matchup poll of 537 registered voters, Obama leads McCain 52 to 42 percent while McCain leads Clinton 49 to 42 percent—a 17 point advantage for Obama in the general election as compared to Clinton (note: this poll did not screen for likely voters).

To little surprise for those who have been following the Election 2008 contests thus far, Clinton struggles mightily with independents. McCain leads Clinton 51 to 35 percent among independents, while Obama leads McCain 47 to 44 percent among these non-affiliated voters in Wisconsin. Independents comprise approximately one-quarter to one-third of Wisconsin’s registered voters.

Clinton also only receives the nod of 5 percent of Republicans, while Obama receives double that amount crossing over to his side. McCain fares the best in ‘enemy territory,’ receiving 17 percent of the Democratic vote when matched up against Clinton and 12 percent of Democrats when matched up against Obama.