Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and McCain are statistically tied in a theoretical general election contest, separated by 1 percentage point. In a matchup against Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., McCain holds a 4 percentage point edge -- still a dead heat when the 3 percentage point margin of error is considered, the poll released Tuesday indicated.

The ability of McCain to run a close race among Democrats suggests his appeal goes beyond Republican Party loyalists, the poll results indicate.

McCain runs neck-and-neck in the poll with Obama among likely independent voters but beats Clinton by 10 percentage points, suggesting he has more bipartisan support than either of the Democratic candidates.

The interpretation provided in the poll implies Democrats will try to cast McCain in a negative light by linking him to the Bush administration and the general discontent with U.S. politics.

The poll results suggested the political climate in U.S. politics favors the Democratic Party. The party has more enthusiastic support and a more favorable approval rating among those interviewed the 1,653 Americans of voting age interviewed by phone from Feb. 21-24.