Report: Obama leaned more to left in '96

WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- A 1996 questionnaire indicates Barack Obama was more liberal on issues such as abortion than his aides acknowledge.

The Politico reported Monday Obama submitted an amended version of a questionnaire distributed to candidates in the 1996 Illinois state Senate race by a liberal voters group.

That document shows Obama took stances on abortion, gun control and the death penalty that lean more liberal than his current positions on those hot-button issues.

The Politico said members of Obama's presidential campaign staff had earlier told it Obama never even saw the questionnaire. The Politico said, however, the amended document has notes on it that appear to be in Obama's handwriting.