Voters Give Edge to Obama in First Debate;
But Race Remains Unchanged
(Obama-Biden, 47% - McCain-Palin, 42%)

New York, NY - In the wake of the first Presidential debate, the Diageo/Hotline Daily Tracker Poll shows very little bounce for either candidate. Obama-Biden have shifted 2-points down, while McCain-Palin have had a 1-point adjustment since the September 26 Poll (conducted pre-debate).

Today's poll finds Obama-Biden at 47% and McCain-Palin at 42%, with 8% of voters undecided.

General Election Ballot: McCain-Palin v. Obama-Biden*
September 26-28, 2008

While there is little movement in the head-to-head immediately after the debate, there has been some shift in candidate favorability ratings. The Poll shows a 4-point drop in McCain's favorability rating since the September 26 Poll (at 50% today) with a 12-point drop among self-identified Independents. For Obama, the Poll shows a 3-point uptick since the September 26 Poll, with a 5-point jump among self-identified Independents.

Spotlight on the First Presidential Debate

The Diageo/Hotline Daily Tracker Poll finds that 63% of voters surveyed Saturday and Sunday nights indicated they had watched Friday night's debate.

Overall, 67% of those who viewed the debate said they thought Obama did an "excellent" or "good" job in the debate, while 53% of voters said McCain did an "excellent" or "good" job.

Perceptions of Debate Performance*
September 26-28, 2008

When asked who they thought won the debate, 41% of voters said they thought Barack Obama won, 24% said they thought John McCain won, and 27% said the debate was essentially a tie.

As a result, among those voters who watched the debate, 43% say it made them more likely for Obama, 33% said it made them more likely to vote for McCain, and 23% say they don't know/can't say.

Candidates on Issues

Looking at perceptions of candidates' potential performance on key issues, there has been some shift on the key issue of the economy since the September 26 Poll.

Specifically, McCain has gained 4-points, thus closing the gap from a 14-point to a 6-point margin today.

Who would do best job handling the economy?*
September 26-28, 2008

Obama remains relatively unchanged in his dominance over McCain on managing America's energy policies best (47% today v. 46% in September 26 Poll). And, there has been virtually no movement in McCain's advantage over Obama on national security performance (55% today and in the September 26 Poll).

The Bailout Turmoil

As Congress went back and forth over the weekend on the issue of the financial bailout, the economy remained the top issue, with no change from the September 26 Poll (60% of voters say the economy is the top issue).

Most voters continue to say that they would prefer that the government have more "involvement and oversight" in the financial markets today (47%).

In today's Poll, there is a 3-point drop in voters' view that the government "should provide emergency funds to banks and financial firms to help keep them in business" (40% today v. 43% in the September 26 Poll).

* data presented in charts based on rolling 3-day average of 900+ interviews concluded the previous day (based on at least 300 interviews conducted daily).

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