(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Democrat Barack Obama holds the upper hand against Republican Rudy Giuliani in a prospective United States presidential contest, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the Illinois senator, while 37 per cent would back the former New York City mayor.

Support for Obama in this match-up increased by four points since mid-December, while backing for Giuliani fell by six points. In a separate contest, Obama holds a six-point lead over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

On Jan. 3, Obama won the Democratic Iowa caucus with 38 per cent of the delegates at stake. In the Republican contest, Romney finished second with 25 per cent of the vote, while Giuliani finished sixth with four per cent.

Yesterday, Giuliani discussed his chances, saying, "I said from the very beginning nobody’s going to win all these primaries. It’s going to be someone’s going to win a few, somebody wins a couple more; the real question is, who wins the most and right now we’re ahead in more states than anyone else."

In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2004, Republican George W. Bush earned a second term after securing 286 electoral votes from 31 states. Democratic nominee John Kerry received 252 electoral votes from 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Bush is ineligible for a third term in office. The presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Polling Data

Possible match-ups - 2008 U.S. presidential election

Giuliani v. Obama

Romney v. Obama

Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 800 likely American voters, conducted on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, 2008. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.

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