Pa. poll shows slim lead for Obama

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A poll in the U.S. presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania indicates a slim, five-point lead for likely Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

The results were within the Franklin & Marshall College Keystone Poll's four-point margin of error, making the contest among likely voters a statistical dead heat, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Monday. When the results are enlarged to include all voters, Obama's lead over likely Republican opponent U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., increases to 8 points.

But in a troubling sign for McCain, Obama has has pulled even with the Republican among voters in Pennsylvania's conservative central region, poll director G. Terry Madonna told the newspaper.

Another ominous indicator for McCain, he said, is that McCain is still trailing in the overall poll despite spending 11 days campaigning in the state since its April 22 primary election. On the other hand, even though the poll indicates voters largely agree with Obama's positions on the Iraq War and economic issues, he still has only a slim lead.

The survey polled 641 people across Pennsylvania Aug. 4-10 and has an error margin of 4 percentage points.