Weekly Poll Report: Obama Continues to Rise

Rasmussen's poll report for February 27, 2008, confirms what pundits have been saying: Barack Obama's momentum continues to build. Hillary Clinton's hopes of remaining in the race are now firmly planted in how she fares in the two main primaries held this coming Tuesday in Texas and Ohio.

According to Rasmussen, Obama now has a 4-point advantage over Clinton nationwide. Of those who responded to the poll, 47% said that they support Obama, while 43% were behind Clinton. This actually represents the one positive trend for the Clinton campaign, as one week ago (on February 20), the same poll had her down by 7 points (47% for Obama and 40% for Clinton).

But that is only a small solace for the former First Lady. It is almost universally agreed that she must win at least one of the two big primaries on March 4th - and probably both of them - to have any chance of winning the Democratic nomination. In those areas, her numbers continue to slip.

In Ohio, Clinton's formerly strong lead in the polls has been diminished almost completely. Obama now has 43% support in that struggling midwestern state, while Hillary controls 48%. A week ago, the numbers looked a bit better for her: Obama 40%, Clinton 48%.

In the Lonestar State, where Clinton led by 16 points just two weeks ago, her lead has disappeared entirely. It is now a statistical dead-heat, with Obama at 45% and Clinton at 46%. This represents a tremendous surge on the part of the Senator from Illinois, as he has steadily cut into Hillary's lead for several weeks.

Here is a snapshot of where the candidates stand:

Today
Nationwide: Obama 47%, Clinton 43%
Ohio: Obama 43%, Clinton 48%
Texas: Obama 45%, Clinton 46%

One Week Ago
Nationwide: Obama 47%, Clinton 40%
Ohio: Obama 40%, Clinton 48%
Texas: Obama 44%, Clinton 47%