Clinton leads Obama in Ohio poll, institute says

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by Marc Kovac

Capital Bureau chief

Columbus -- New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is outpacing Illinois Sen. Barack Obama by 21 points among likely Democratic voters in Ohio, according to a new poll released Feb. 14.

Clinton was favored by 55 percent of the 564 Ohio Democrats who participated in the Quinnipiac University poll, compared to 34 percent for Obama.

The former First Lady also outpaced her primary opponent, 52 to 36 percent, among 577 likely Democratic voters polled in Pennsylvania.

"Despite her losing streak, Sen. Clinton remains far ahead of Sen. Obama among likely Democratic primary voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Connecticut-based institute, stated in a release.

But, he added, "In some of the earlier contests, Obama had closed similar gaps and gone on to win. With Ohio the next big state, along with Texas, voting on March 4, Clinton must fend off another last-minute Obama surge in the Buckeye State."

The institute, which conducts regular polls of Ohioans' attitudes on candidates and issues, questioned more than 4,000 likely voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida earlier this month about their presidential leanings.

In Ohio, Clinton did well among women (56 to 34 percent over Obama). She led 64 to 28 percent among white Democrats, while Obama lead 64 to 17 percent among black voters, according to the poll.

Pennsylvania's results were comparable.

"Ohio is as good demographic fit for Sen. Clinton," Brown said. "It is blue-collar America, with a smaller percentage of both Democrats with college educations and African-Americans than in many other states where Sen. Obama has carried the day.

"If Clinton can't win the primary there, it is very difficult to see how she stops Obama."

Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Capital Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com.