Dems worry about Obama's slip in polls

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Some senior Democratic Party officials are expressing concern over presumptive U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama's recent slip in some polls.

The Illinois senator's lead over presumptive GOP nominee John McCain has tightened in some recent polls, while expanding in others.

Rep. John Dingell of Michigan -- a battleground state -- is among those concerned over the trend, The Hill reported Monday. He warned Obama that the GOP will "run a very rough campaign against him," the newspaper reported.

A CNN poll released Monday indicated Obama and McCain are running neck-and-neck, while the most recent Gallup-USA Today poll of likely voters showed Obama leading McCain by 48-45.

"The campaign has not yet taken off," Dingell said. "He's got to address things that go into a presidential campaign as opposed to a primary campaign. They're very different campaigns."

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the co-chairman of Obama's campaign, said Obama's drop in the polls is at least partly attributable to a reduced presence in the news cycle while he was vacationing in Hawaii this month, while Russia's invasion of Georgia gave McCain a chance to dominate the headlines.

"We realize over the last week or 10 days that John McCain has had a 12-0 run in this basketball game," Durbin said. "We know the momentum can shift."