Poll: Iowans favor Obama

IOWA CITY, Iowa, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain in Iowa, a key battleground state, a poll indicates.

Among likely registered voters, Obama's leads 49.5 percent to 43.1 percent, with 7.4 percent undecided, found the University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released Tuesday.

The Hawkeye Poll indicates that 38.6 percent of McCain voters say they strongly support him, while 64.3 percent of Obama voters say they are strong supporters.

The poll found that Obama leads or is tied in nearly every demographic group examined except evangelical Christians. McCain leads among evangelicals 65.2 percent to 31.6 percent.

"The race in Iowa, while relatively close, appears to be moving in Obama's direction," said Hawkeye Poll Director David Redlawsk.

"Most importantly for Obama, his supporters are much more likely to say they 'strongly support' him, which makes them much more likely to turn out on Election Day and much more likely to talk to friends and neighbors, volunteer in the campaign, and do the kinds of things that win elections," Redlawsk added.

The Hawkeye Poll was conducted Aug. 4 to Aug. 13 among 709 registered voters and 617 likely voters. The margin of error is about plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.