Poll: Obama 49, McCain 46 in Virginia

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama leads Republican nominee John McCain by three points in Virginia, a poll released Monday indicated.

Forty-nine percent of likely voters said they support Obama, while 46 percent said they back McCain, the ABC News/Washington Post poll found.

ABC said the Obama campaign is benefiting from concern about the economy and a political climate generally favorable to Democrats. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said the economy is the most important issue in determining their vote -- and eight out of 10 voters said they are worried about the direction in which the economy is headed.

Virginia typically votes Republican in presidential elections, but Democrats have been successful in recent statewide elections, with wins in the last three elections for governor or U.S. senator.

Obama leads McCain by 10 percent among registered voters on the question of which candidate they trust on the economy. He has a 23-point lead on the question of which candidate understands Americans' economic problems, ABC said.

Fifty-three percent of registered voters said they think McCain would take the country in the same direction as President Georg Bush.

The poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 18-21, using a random sample of 1,001 adults. It has a margin of error of 3 percent.