Poll: Obama leads McCain nationally

PRINCETON, N.J., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by 5 percentage points nationally, a Gallup poll indicates.

The Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows Obama leading McCain 47 percent to 42 percent.

The data, based on Aug. 9-11 polling, shows the U.S. presidential candidates are in the same position they were Monday.

"Aside from the bounce in support Obama received around the time of his recent overseas trip to Europe and the Middle East, the last time he led McCain by at least five points for two or more consecutive days was at the start of July," the Gallup analysis said.

The poll results are based on combined data from 2,656 registered voters. The maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.