Net Results

Here are some interesting findings from the final Gallup pre-primary polls of likely voters in the New Hampshire primary.

[Disclaimer 1: This was a PRE-PRIMARY poll, not an exit poll.]

[Disclaimer 2: It was a poll taken while a lot of New Hampshire voters said they still hadn't made a final decision on their vote. So you're advised to use caution in extrapolating a likely outcome in today's voting from this info. We do...]

* Electable Obama? Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as the candidate perceived by Democrats and Democratic leaners as having the best chance of beating the Republican in November. He surpassed New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- the former first lady and clear national front-runner prior to her defeat in the Iowa caucuses -- who was considered by voters as the most electable Democrat in polling throughout 2007.

 * A Change Man. Gallup reports, "In a year when 'change' has become the word candidates most want to be associated with, Obama appears to have convinced New Hampshire voters that he is the candidate most likely to possess new ideas to help solve the country's problems." The survey showed that 51 percent of likely New Hampshire Democratic primary voters viewed him as the leading change agent in the Democratic field, with Clinton (19 percent) and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (18 percent) virtually tied behind him.

* Ms. Fix-It: Despite Obama's contention that he is uniquely capable of reaching across party lines and making progress on the nation's problems, Clinton retains a wide lead over him in the Gallup poll -- by 49 percent to 25 percent -- as the candidate best capable of getting things done in Washington.