Poll: Blacks energized by U.S. election

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Black voters have been energized by the U.S. presidential election, while voters of all racial groups see the economy as the top issue, a poll indicates.

Blacks overwhelmingly support Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois by 92 percent to 4 percent for Republican opponent Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and are more engaged in the election than other racial groups, being 50 percent more likely to have contributed to a campaign, a poll for USA Today, ABC News and Columbia University indicated Tuesday.

Voters of all racial groups said Obama's candidacy, the first major party presidential nomination for an African-American, was historic. Some 79 percent of blacks, 71 percent of whites and 68 percent of Hispanics agreed that his nomination represented progress for blacks in the United States generally, USA Today reported.

Meanwhile, blacks, whites and Hispanics all agreed that the economy and jobs should be at the top of the new president's to-do list, with other concerns near the top of everyone's list including terrorism, healthcare and education.

The telephone survey included 1,032 blacks, 543 non-Hispanic whites and 315 Hispanics, who can be of any race, and was taken Sept. 11-14. The error margin was not mentioned in the article.