Obama of Illinois was selected by 21 percent of 500 callers as the candidate they believe would have the most positive impact on the job market, said Challenger, Gray & Christmas in a news release. New York's Clinton was second with 20.3 percent of job seekers' votes, the outplacement consultancy firm said.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina received 9.9 percent support, behind 13.2 percent who said they were unsure.

The remaining 29 percent of respondents were split among several Republican candidates, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney favored by 9.3 percent of the callers. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was seen by 7.7 percent of callers.

"When the campaigning started a year ago, the big issues were the war in Iraq and immigration," said John Challenger, chief executive of the Chicago firm said. "However, an ongoing housing slump, which has resulted in millions of foreclosures, plummeting home values and volatility in the financial sector, has a growing number of voters worried about the economy, job security and their pocketbooks."