Obama, Clinton neck-and-neck

BOSTON – Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s lead over rival Barack Obama in New Hampshire has vanished a month before the state’s nominating primary in the race for the White House, a poll showed on Wednesday.

The WMUR/CNN poll showed the US senator from New York leading Obama 31% to 30% in New Hampshire, which on January 8 holds the first primary in the run-up to the November 2008 presidential election. The survey had a 0,5% point error margin.Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards was in third place, with 16%, followed by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson at 7%.Among Republicans, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee remains mired in single digits in New Hampshire despite a rapid rise in national polls.Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads his Republican rivals in New Hampshire with 32% support, followed by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain, who are tied at 19%, and Huckabee at 9%.The poll showed Clinton’s support falling half a per cent from last month, while Obama has gained 0,8%.Clinton’s decline was largely due to a loss of support among women, from 43% to 33%.The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, was taken from December 6 to December 10, including last weekend when talk show host Oprah Winfrey campaigned with Obama in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.That could mean new trouble for Clinton, who was recently edged out of first place by Obama in a Des Moines Register newspaper poll in Iowa, which holds the first contest of the party nominating process with its January 3 caucuses.The latest survey polled 378 likely Democratic primary voters and 354 likely Republican voters.Nampa-ReutersThe survey had a 0,5% point error margin.Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards was in third place, with 16%, followed by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson at 7%.Among Republicans, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee remains mired in single digits in New Hampshire despite a rapid rise in national polls.Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads his Republican rivals in New Hampshire with 32% support, followed by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain, who are tied at 19%, and Huckabee at 9%.The poll showed Clinton’s support falling half a per cent from last month, while Obama has gained 0,8%.Clinton’s decline was largely due to a loss of support among women, from 43% to 33%.The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, was taken from December 6 to December 10, including last weekend when talk show host Oprah Winfrey campaigned with Obama in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.That could mean new trouble for Clinton, who was recently edged out of first place by Obama in a Des Moines Register newspaper poll in Iowa, which holds the first contest of the party nominating process with its January 3 caucuses.The latest survey polled 378 likely Democratic primary voters and 354 likely Republican voters.Nampa-Reuters