Poll: Obama support tepid among whites

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama continues to have tepid support in the Carolinas among white voters, a poll indicates.

White voters in the two states favor Republican presidential contender John McCain, whom they say they see as principled, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported Sunday.

A poll by the newspaper and WCNC-TV of Charlotte shows McCain, the senator from Arizona, has 43 percent, compared to 38 percent for Obama, his colleague from Illinois, among Carolinians.

The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The sample size was not reported.

While respondents gave McCain high marks for national security and integrity, Carolinians see Obama as likable and optimistic, the newspaper reported.