Obama has four-point lead on McCain

By Andrew Quinn

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama has a 4-point lead over his Republican rival John McCain in the U.S. presidential race, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll released on Monday.

Obama leads McCain by 48 percent to 44 percent among likely voters, down 2 percentage points from the lead he enjoyed on Sunday. The poll has a margin of error of 2.9 points.

Pollster John Zogby said Monday's results, which saw Obama drop 1 point and McCain gain 1 point from Sunday's figures, was an indication the race remained competitive in the final weeks before the November 4 election.

"One day does not make a trend, but perhaps McCain may have stopped some bleeding -- and there was bleeding," he said.

Obama had seen his lead firm in recent weeks as the financial crisis grabbed the headlines, unnerving many voters and putting the campaign spotlight on economic issues.

Obama's 6-point lead in Sunday's results from the rolling, 4-day tracking poll had been his strongest since the survey began on October 7.

Zogby said that while Obama still had a 17-point lead among independent voters, this was down from 21 points on Sunday and showed that some independents remain to be persuaded.

"If we see that lead going down again tomorrow, maybe we are talking a horserace," he said.  Continued...