The poll found Obama was seen by most Democrats as the best candidate to defeat Republican front-runner John McCain. Obama, who has won 11 straight Democratic nominating contests, has seen his support increase among such voter blocs as men and women, liberals and moderates, higher- and lower-income voters, and those with and without college degrees, The New York Times reported Monday.

Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, leads rival Hillary Clinton nationally, 54 percent to 38 percent in the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

Although Obama is seen as a unifying force, Clinton, the junior senator from New York and former first lady, is seen by Democrats as the candidate best prepared for the White House, the poll found.

The poll also indicated that McCain is seen by voters across party lines as the candidate most prepared to be commander in chief over either of the Democratic candidates.

The telephone poll of 427 Democratic primary voters and 327 Republican primary voters was taken Feb. 20-24. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percent for all voters, plus or minus five percent for Democratic voters and plus or minus five percent for Republican voters.