Poll: Mainline Christians favor Obama

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has struggled to woo evangelical voters and trails Republican John McCain among the group, a poll indicates.

A survey by Faith and Public Life found that although most Christians from mainline churches support Obama, the Illinois senator is not pulling support from evangelicals.

The poll shows 68 percent of older white evangelicals favor McCain, while 25 percent say they support Obama. Among younger white evangelicals, 65 percent say they support McCain, compared to 29 percent who say they will vote for Obama.

Among mainline church members such as Presbyterians and Episcopalians, Obama leads 49 percent to 45 percent among older voters, and 47 percent to 42 percent among younger voters.

Obama has a larger lead among Catholics. Fifty-one percent say they support Obama, compared to 40 percent who say they support McCain. Among younger Catholics, 55 percent support Obama, while 40 percent back McCain.

The poll of 2,000 adults 18 and over and another 1,250 younger adults ages18 to 34 has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for the adult sample and 3 percentage points for the younger group.