Poll: Candidates in virtual tie in Arizona

TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Sen. John McCain is in a neck-and-neck battle with Sen. Barack Obama in the Republican presidential candidate's home state of Arizona, a poll indicates.

An Arizona State University poll released Tuesday shows McCain leads Obama by 2 percentage points, 46 percent to 44 percent, down from a 7-percentage-point advantage a month ago, the Tempe, Ariz., university said in a release.

When factoring the survey's 3-percentage-point margin of error, pollsters said the state is now a toss-up.

"Supporters of both candidates are highly committed to their candidates, with 94 percent of Obama's supporters and 93 percent of McCain's supporters indicating that they are firmly committed and won't change their mind before Election Day," poll director Bruce Merrill said.

While Obama has closed the gap, "a week is a long time in a political campaign and anything can happen," Merrill said. "Who wins will be determined by which candidate gets their supporters out to the polls on Election Day."

The poll of 1,019 registered voters in Arizona was conducted Thursday-Sunday.