Poll Update: Obama Leads McCain by 17 in Washington

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Last updated on July 1st, 2012 at 06:54 am

The latest Survey USA state poll of Washington finds Barack Obama with a commanding lead over John McCain 56%-39%. Obama leads McCain among all age groups and races. He leads McCain 59%-36% among 18-34 year olds and 56%-40% with those 50-64 years old. Not surprisingly, McCain runs best with older voters. Among voters over age 65, Obama leads McCain 49%-46%. Obama has an 18 point lead with voters 18-49, and leads McCain by 11 points with voters over 50.

The Republican leads with voters in the state who say that they regularly attend religious services, 51%-45%. Obama leads by 8 points with voters who say that the economy is their number one issue. He blows away McCain on the issues of healthcare (66%-29%), the environment (81%-19%), Iraq (82%-14%), and education (76%-21%). The candidates ran about even on Social Security (50%-47%), and McCain’s best issues were terrorism (93%-7%), and immigration (72%-21%).

Washington is a state that Al Gore won by five in 2000, and John Kerry won by seven in 2004, so it is a place that Obama should do very well in. The state has not voted for a Republican since 1988. The interesting aspect of this poll is that it is evidence of an early trend in this race that voters seem to see these candidates in very strict terms. Except for the issues of the economy and Social Security, one candidate is strongly favored over the other.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in any poll taken this early. Most voters haven’t started thinking about the general election yet. If you think of the polls as a series of before and after snapshots of the nation’s political mood, than this one definitely belongs in the before category, this poll provides a peek at where the voters in one state stand right now. Anyone who has been around presidential elections for a while knows that these polls will shift like crazy. We probably won’t get reliable data until October, but the early polls are still fun to look at and talk about.

You can check out the full results right here.