(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - There is no clear leader in the United States presidential campaign, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 46 per cent of respondents would vote for Democratic Illinois senator Barack Obama in this year’s ballot, while 45 per cent would back Republican Arizona senator John McCain.

Nine per cent of respondents are undecided, or would vote for other candidates. Support for Obama fell by three points since late June, while backing for McCain remained stable.

On Jul. 20, Obama discussed his views on the war on terrorism, saying, "I think one of the biggest mistakes we’ve made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job [in Afghanistan]. (...) We got distracted by Iraq. I don’t think there’s any doubt that we were distracted from our efforts not only to hunt down al-Qaeda and the Taliban, but also to rebuild this country."

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 (with leaners)

McCain v. Obama

Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,600 likely American voters, conducted from Jul. 17 to Jul. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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