If the Pew Research Center survey we posted earlier depressed you with the grim view Americans have the economy, take a look at the new CNN/Opinion Research poll which says that only 24 percent have a positive outlook for the country while 76 percent believe things are on the wrong track. The poll was conducted July 27-29.

"Only three events -- Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, and the economic downturn of 1992 -- have driven below 30 percent the number who think things are going well," CNN's polling director Keating Holland said.

Twenty-two percent approve of the way Congress is doing its job and 77 percent disapprove. The Democratic leaders of Congress get positive marks from only 36 percent, not much higher than President Bush's 30 percent approval rating.

Barack Obama leads John McCain 47 percent to 42 percent with 11 percent saying they are undecided or prefer someone else in a Pew Research Center poll conducted July 23-27. The margin of error is 3 percent. That's little changed from Pew's June poll when he was ahead by 8 percent. But with the survey detailed how pounded Americans are feeling about the economy right now, it's also notable that voters believe by 47 percent to 32 percent that Obama would do a better job improving economic conditions. Eighty-seven percent of voters say that when it comes to the economy, it matters to them who is elected President.

The two men run evenly among independents. McCain maintains a big advantage among white men with a 15 point lead. White evangelicals back McCain 69 percent to 20 percent. The biggest gap among age groups is in Obama's favor. He leads by 20 points with voters under 29. The number of former Clinton supports who say they will back Obama continues to climb slowly but steadily, rising from 69 percent in June to 72 percent. In March, when 32 percent of them said they'd back McCain, Obama only had the support of 63 percent. The number of Clintonites now backing McCain has dropped to 17 percent.

The big news today is the first poll on the Alaska senate race since this week's indictment of longtime Republican Sen. Ted Stevens.

• Alaska: The first poll on the Alaska Senate race since longtime Stevens was indicted for allegedly failing to disclose illegal gifts that he had received shows that Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, has widened his lead in the race. In a survey conducted July 30, Begich leads 50 percent to 37 percent with 11 percent expressing a preference for "other' and 12 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.5 percent. Stevens is still viewed favorably by 50 percent of voters against 47 percent who view him unfavorably compared to Begich whose ratio 63 percent to 32 percent. However, voters say Stevens should not resign by a 50 percent to 33 percent margin, with 17 percent not sure. Forty-six percent say Stevens is about as ethical as other politicians, 27 percent say he is less ethical and 20 percent more ethical. It also tested the possible fallout for Alaska's Republican Rep. Don Young, also the focus of ethics questions, and 44 percent said the Stevens story made it less likely they'd vote for Young. CQ Politics has changed its rating of this race from "Leans Republican" to "Leans Democrat."

We don't always report the daily tracking polls on the presidential races because on most days the changes are incremental. But we will note today that after opening a 9 point lead in the Gallup tracking poll released July 27, the pollster has the race back to a dead heat with Obama ahead 45 percent to 44 percent, 5 percent liking neither and 7 percent expressing no opinion. The margin of error is 2 percent. Rasmussen Reports has Obama ahead in its daily poll 45 percent to 43 percent.

Thirty percent of conservative Democrats say they'll vote for John McCain over Barack Obama, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted during the two weeks ending July 24. McCain would pick up 19 percent of white Democrats and 15 percent of those over 50. Forty-one percent of those identifying themselves as conservative Democrats have a favorable view of McCain compared to 67 percent who say that of Obama. Another figure that shows an Obama weakness is that among Democratic senior citizens, his support is 74 percent.

In all, Rasmussen said 43 percent of Democrats considered themselves liberal, 37 percent said they were moderate and 18 percent were conservative. Ninety percent of liberal Democrats give Obama good marks but only 23 percent view McCain favorably.

Quinnipiac University has released its latest swing state polls showing Florida and Ohio as too close to call, and Barack Obama still with a lead in Pennsylvania, but a smaller one than he enjoyed in June. One theme running through the three states were voter concerns about energy costs which are clearly eclipsing foreign issues, including Iraq. Quinnipiac said that voters in all three states by margins of 27 to 30 points favored more offshore drilling, a position which John McCain has advocated and Obama opposes.

Barack Obama's trip abroad consumed 51 percent of the campaign story newshole for the week of July 21-27, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, but it didn't make much of a dent in the poll numbers in his race with John McCain. A new CNN/Opinion Research survey, conducted entirely after the trip, showed Obama ahead 51 percent to 44 percent, compared to 50 percent to 45 percent a month ago. CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said the trip did not do much to help with Obama's standing with the public on foreign policy issues. "Obama has not picked up any ground against McCain on foreign issues and some 52 percent think McCain would do a better job than Obama on the war in Iraq -- virtually the same number who felt that way in April," he said. McCain also continues to hold the advantage on every foreign policy and national security issue covered by the poll.

The good news for Obama was that McCain's criticism of the trip did not resonate with the public, particularly his claim that Obama cancelled a visit to injured trips because the media could not accompany him. More than two-thirds of voters thought the trip appropriate and 72 percent said they believed Obama cares about veterans and troops in Iraq.

See also yesterday's Gallup survey on public views of Obama's trip.

We're updating our round-up of polls of Senate races with the latest from Mississippi.

• Mississippi: Roger Wicker, appointed to fill out the term of retired Sen. Trent Lott, has opened a modest lead over former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, moving from a dead heat last month to a 48 percent to 42 percent advantage in a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 28. Three percent prefer someone "other," 8 percent are undecided and the margin of error is 4.5 percent. If "leaners" are counted, Wicker's lead is a little bigger. Wicker's favorable-to-unfavorable numbers are 61 percent to 29 percent while Musgrove's are 51 percent to 41 percent. Wicker has a 2-to-1 advantage among unaffiliated voters. He gets 72 percent of the white vote while Musgrove polls 83 percent of black voters. Thad Cochran, seeking a sixth term, was way out in front in his race against former state legislator Erik Fleming 59 percent to 32 percent in Rasmussen's June poll. CQ Politics rates Cochran's race "Safe Republican" and the Wicker-Musgrove contest as "No Clear Favorite."

For candidates with their eye on the all-important middle-class vote, the Pew Research Center has this to offer: there isn't one middle-class, there are four.

• The Top of the Class: "Predominantly male, disproportionately well-educated and financially secure," this is the largest subgroup, making up 53 percent.
• The Struggling Middle: Mostly women and minorities and with more in common with the lower economic class. They compromise 17 percent.
• The Satisfied Middle: Disproportionately young or old, they don't have big bucks but are happy with their lives. They represent 25 percent.
• The Anxious Middle: They enjoy some of the economic advantages of their Top of the Class brethren, but their outlook on life is bleak. They add up to 23 percent.

We're updating Michigan in our state match-ups between Barack Obama and John McCain. Both men have a lot riding on this state because a loss here would mean needing to make pick-ups elsewhere.

• Michigan: Yet another poll shows the race tightening in this state. Obama leads McCain 46 percent to 43 percent - within the 3.3 percent margin of error - in a survey conducted July 23-27 by Public Policy Polling. Ten percent are undecided. PPP's June poll had Obama up by 9 percent. The pollster attributes Obama's slippage to a decline in support among Republicans from 19 percent to 9 percent and a gain by McCain among whites, going from a small disadvantage to a 10 point lead. Twenty percent of independents are undecided and given that they comprise 27 percent of the sample, and Democrats and Republicans are nearly even at 37 percent and 34 percent respectively, they will obviously be a key to victory here. Obama had also slipped two points compared to last month to a 46 percent to 42 percent edge over McCain with 9 percent undecided in a Quinnipiac University/Washington/Post poll conducted July 14-22. The margin of error is 2.4 percent. (By contrast, a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 10 showed Obama gaining grown, with a 47 percent to 39 percent lead. His lead in June had been a statistically insignificant 3 points). Obama leads 12 points among women and McCain leads 5 points among men. Among white voters, McCain leads by 8 points and Obama leads among black voters by 86 points. Obama still has a 10 point advantage among voters under 34, but the size of his lead has dropped. Michigan has gone Democrat in the last five elections with the only Republican to win being the first George Bush in 1988.

Most of the voters who are still uncommitted in the race between Barack Obama and John McCain are Democrats and people unaffiliated with either party, Rasmussen Reports says based on telephone surveys during the two weeks ending July 24. Rasmussen counts those who say they would vote for some other candidate (6 percent) with the 8 percent undecided to put the number of undecided at 14 percent at this point. A third of the uncommitted voters are Democrats compared to 19 percent for Republicans. Forty-eight percent are not affiliated with either party. This compares to the 8 percent uncommitted that Rasmussen identified at this point in the campaign in 2004.

A key point in the campaign stands that Barack Obama and John McCain have taken on what U.S. strategy should be in dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan is the question of which country should be the U.S. priority in the battles to put down insurgencies and fight terrorism. Part of Obama's argument for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq is that Afghanistan represents the greatest threat. McCain has insisted that withdrawal from Iraq must be determined by events on the ground and that victory there is a necessary first step towards success in Afghanistan.

Now the USA Today/Gallup poll weighs in on the question, and similarly to what Rasmussen Reports found in a national poll in mid-July and in its state-by-state polls, a plurality of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan is more important than the one in Iraq by a 44 percent to 38 percent margin. Ten percent say "both equally" and 8 percent have no opinion.

Given the news about the indictment of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, CQ Politics is changing its rating on that race from "Leans Republican" to "Leans Democrat." We've moved to the top of our round-up that last poll conducted on the race, which had Stevens' opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, pulling ahead. See our story today on the political impact of the indictment.

Also some bad news today for Republicans from North Caroline where the latest poll shows the June lead of Sen. Elizabeth Dole slipping.

• Alaska: Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, has pulled ahead of Stevens with a 50 percent to 41 percent lead in a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 17. Four percent chose "other," 4 percent were undecided and the margin of error was 4.5 percent. Stevens had a statistically insignificant 46 percent to 44 percent lead over, the mayor of Anchorage, in Rasmussen's June 16 poll. Voters who view Begich favorably increased from 55 percent to 63 percentwhile Stevens' favorable-to-unfavorable ratio in June of 51 percent to 44 percent is now 50 percent to 48 percent. CQ Politics rates the race "Leans Republican."

Today we're updating North Carolina in our round-up of state match-ups between John McCain and Barack Obama.

• North Carolina: Obama continues to be competitive in a state that the Republicans have carried in the last five elections. McCain leads him by a statistically insignificant 47 percent to 44 percent with 6 percent undecided and 3 percent favoring Libertarian Bob Barr in a Public Policy Polling survey conducted July 23-27. The margin of error is 3.4 percent. In late June, PPP had McCain ahead by 4 points. McCain has a 9 point lead among men. Obama leads by 13 points among voters under 29 (13 percent of the sample) and McCain leads 27 percent among those over 65 (17 percent of the sample). He leads 57 percent to 34 percent among white voters (77 percent of the sample), counterbalancing Obama's huge 82 to 8 percent lead among black voters (20 percent of the sample). A Rasmussen Reports poll, conducted July 15, had McCain leading Obama 45 percent to 42 percent with 5 percent preferring "other" and 8 percent undecided. The margin of error was 4.5 percent. McCain's favorable-to-unfavorable numbers were 57 percent to 40 percent while Obama's were 52 percent to 45 percent. As other surveys have previously, this one points to a problem Obama has had in getting his own party to line up behind him. McCain is supported by 85 percent of Republicans and 18 percent of Democrats while Obama draws 69 percent support among Democrats and 7 percent of Republicans. A SurveyUSA poll conducted July 12-14 showed McCain leading Obama 50 percent to 45 percent with 2 percent choosing "other" and 5 percent undecided. The margin of error was 3.8 percent. Demographically, the biggest gaps were among men, who favor McCain by 20 points; voters over 65 who favor him by 26 points; whites, where McCain has a 2-to-1 lead and blacks, where Obama has a 93 percent to 6 percent lead. Blacks make up 19 percent of the sample. Obama's advantage here among those under 34 is only 8 points. McCain's support among Republicans (88 percent) is more solid than Obama's among Democrats (74 percent), with 22 percent of Democrats putting themselves in McCain's column.

Barack Obama has mused to reporters that he "wouldn't be surprised" if his eight day trip abroad might result in a dip in the polls, with Americans worried about economic conditions at home. He may be on to something, although not by any overwhelming numbers. Gallup says that in a survey conducted July 25-27 only 35 percent of respondents saw the trip positively, 26 percent saw it as a total negative and 39 percent had no opinion. Democrats were 53 percent to 8 percent positive about it, independents 31 percent to 28 percent positive (the margin of error was 3 points), and Republicans 50 percent to 18 percent negative. The Republicans' presumed standarbearer, John McCain, had labeled the trip a "premature victory lap."

Media coverage, which included the three network news anchors along for the ride, had also come into focus on the trip with criticism that it not only was lavishing too much attention on Obama but was too adoring. Thiry-nine percent of all voters in the poll thought it was unfairly positive and 39 percent said it was about right. During the period, 46 percent said coverage of McCain was about right, 32 percent said it was unfairly negative and 12 percent unfairly positive.

The daily tracking poll, as we reported just a few hours ago, has Barack Obama leading John McCain 48 to 40 percent.

A USA TODAY/Gallup poll released today shows McCain leading Obama, 49 to 45 percent.

Why the difference? The USA Today version surveyed "likely" voters, while the daily tracking poll surveys registered voters. But then again, when the USA Today/Gallup pollsters examined registered voters, Obama led McCain, but by a smaller margin than the daily tracking poll: 47 to 44 percent.

According to USA Today, Gallup editor Frank Newport "says not to read too much into [the differences between the polls]. 'Statistical noise' may be largely to blame."

The margin of error on the daily tracking poll is +/- 2 points and on the USA Today/Gallup poll, it is +/- 4 points.

Nationally, Obama leads John McCain, 48-40 percent. The survey was conducted July 25-27 and has a margin of error of +/- 2 points.

Meanwhile, today's Rasmussen daily tracking poll shows Obama with a slimmer lead over McCain: 48-45, also with a margin of error of +/- 2 points.

Huckabee scored the highest, with 15 percent giving him "Very Favorable" ratings and almost half the respondents - 47 percent - saying they viewed him at least somewhat favorably. Lieberman, the VP candidate with Democrat Al Gore in 2000, scored just under that 46 percent viewed him somewhat favorably.

Both men have high unfavorable ratings, though: for each, 39 percent had at least a somewhat unfavorable view. But those paled a bit in comparison to former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney's "negative numbers:" 48 percent view him at least somewhat unfavorably and 42 percent say they have at least a somewhat favorable view him.

The survey also asked about candidates who are on many short lists: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. The pollsters write: "What the numbers also suggest, given the high percentages of "not sure" responses, is that many voters are not even aware of most of the possible ... candidates. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of voters, for example, had no opinion of Pawlenty is; 47% say the same of Crist."

The telephone survey was conducted July 25-27, 2008. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points.

Just 13 percent think the economy is getting better. That is very similar to the percentage of respondents who rated the economy "good or excellent." Thirty percent say fair and more than half - 52 percent - called the U.S. economy "poor."

The pollsters write: "Bleak as those numbers are, today's results are the least pessimistic since early May. The percentage saying the economy is getting better last reached 13% on May 11 and hasn't been higher than that since January 6. In between, the number expecting things to get better fell as low as 7% in March. "

The survey was done over the past three nights and has a margin of sampling error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.

Barack Obama's lead over John McCain in Gallup's daily tracking poll has now notched up to 9 points - 49 percent to 40 percent with 5 percent saying neither and 4 percent expressing no opinion. The margin of error is 2 percent. The Rasmussen Reports daily tracking survey has a somewhat different view, with Obama ahead 46 percent to 41 percent, which is no change since yesterday for Obama and up a point for McCain.

Remember the flap over the New Yorker cover depicting Barack Obama and his wife as fist-bumping radical Muslims? The Pew Research Center said a quarter of Americans said they had heard a lot about the controversy and another quarter heard a little. When people of all political stripes were lumped together, they thought the cover was OK by 50 percent to 45 percent. But when broken down by party, Democrats said by 65 percent to 31 percent that the cover was not all right, while Republicans said the opposite by an almost identical margin of 64 percent to 31 percent. Independents were fine with it by 59 percent to 36 percent.

Voters as a whole said by 54 percent to 45 percent that the cover was offensive (not quite how to square that with the above result) and again Democrats and Republicans differed sharply on that question with 70 percent of Democrats saying that as opposed to 41 percent of Republicans. But overwhelming majorities of respondents of all persuasions didn't think it was funny or clever. Sixty-one percent of all those surveyed said it was not racist compared to 37 percent who said it was, and while Democrats clearly disliked the cover, they said it was racist by a much smaller 53 percent to 46 percent margin.

We're updating California in our round-up of state general election match-ups between Barack Obama and John McCain.

• California: Obama leads McCain 50 percent to 38 percent with 6 percent choosing "other" and 6 percent undecided in a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 24. The margin of error is 4.5 percent. Last month, Obama had led by 28 points in this survey. Obama's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio is 60 percent to 37 percent while McCain's is 54 percent to 42 percent. Californians put the energy priority on protecting the environment rather than bringing down the price of gasoline and oil by 52 percent to 42 percent. They believe by solid majorities that Afghanistan, and not Iraq, is the central front of the war on terror and is the biggest security threat to the U.S. A Field Poll poll conducted July 8-14 had Obama ahead 54 percent to 30 percent with 4 percent choosing "other" and 12 percent expressing "no opinion." The margin of error was 3.9 percent. That was a 3 point pick-up for Obama since May. The pollster says Obama has had success in bringing Hillary Clinton supporters into his fold. Obama's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio is 63 percent to 26 percent compared to McCain's 48 percent to 38 percent. Fifty-one percent of Obama supporters describe themselves as "very enthusiastic" about supporting him compared to only 17 percent of those backing McCain.. A June 23 Rasmussen Reports survey showed him leading 58 percent to 30 percent with 5 percent preferring "other" and 7 percent undecided. The margin of error was 4.5 percent. Obama is viewed favorably by 63 percent of Californians compared to 43 percent for McCain. Of the last five elections, Democrats easily won each since 1992, following Michael Dukakis' loss to the first George Bush in 1988.

Rasmussen Reports' daily tracking poll shows a bounce for Barack Obama, no doubt aided by the saturation coverage of his trip abroad that has all but eclipsed John McCain. After being tied with McCain four days ago, Obama now leads 46 percent to 40 percent with a 2 point margin of error. His advantage over McCain is the same 6 points when "leaners" towards both men are counted.

Gallup's daily tracking numbers agree.Obama has opened his biggest lead of the month with a 48 percent to 41 percent advantage over McCain with 5 percent siding with neither and 6 percent expressing no opinion. The survey was conducted July 23-25 and has a 2 point margin of error.

We're updating our round-up with polls from New Mexico and Maine, although the Maine poll we added was reported this week but actually conducted in June.

• New Mexico: Democrats appear headed for a pick-up here with Rep. Tom Udall running ahead of Rep. Steven Pearce (60-36 percent) for the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Pete V. Domenici. Udall leads 59 percent to 34 percent in a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 24. Udall enjoys a 66 percent favorable rating compared to 46 percent for Pearce. Domenici had held this seat since 1973.

We're updating the round-up of John McCain vs. Barack Obama match-ups for the swing state polls released yesterday by Quinnipiac University/Washington Post/Wall Street Journal, including Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. We also update New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

• Colorado: McCain is leading Obama 46 percent to 44 percent with 7 percent undecided and a 2.6 percent margin of error in a Quinnipiac University/Washington/Post poll conducted July 14-22. Obama led by 5 points in this poll last month. Big gender gap here with Obama having an 11 point edge among women and McCain leading by 18 points among men. This is one of the states where Hispanics are a key voting bloc and Obama leads by 28 points. A Rasmussen Reports survey conducted July 21 had Obama is leading McCain 49 percent to 42 percent. The margin of error was 4.5 percent. However, the contest falls within the margin of error if "leaners" are included. Last month, Obama led by 2 points. Obama's favorable-to-unfavorable numbers are 52 percent to 48 percent and McCain's are 61 percent to 39 percent. In most states where Rasmussen has asked the question so far, voters care more about bringing down the price of gasoline than protecting the environment, but in Colorado they split about evenly. But like voters in other states, they see Afghanistan rather than Iraq as the main front in the war on terrorism and as the greatest threat to national security. A Public Policy Polling survey conducted July 9-10 by had Obama ahead of McCain 47 percent to 43 percent with 10 percent undecided and a 3 point margin of error. This is one of the states, along with Florida, Nevada and New Mexico, where Hispanics may be an important force. They make up 15 percent of the sample in the PPP poll and Obama leads among them 58 percent to 34 percent while running evenly with McCain among white voters. The state has gone Republican the last three elections (by less than 5 points in 2004), but the Obama camp thinks they can make it competitive.

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics has weighed in with its latest poll and it shows a much tighter race than the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll from yesterday. Barack Obama leads John McCain 41 percent to 40 percent and a fairly high 19 percent undecided. (When Ralph Nader and "other" are eliminated, Obama's lead is 3 points, which is exactly the margin of error). The survey was conducted July 22-23. Last month, Obama led by 4 points and the undecideds were 14 percent. The Journal/NBC poll, conducted July 18-21, had Obama ahead 47 percent to 41 percent.

The major target of opportunity is among independents. Those that have made a choice, for now, split 34 percent to 32 percent for Obama but but 34 percent are still undecided.

The poll asked a couple of questions similar to the Journal/NBC poll on the excitement factor of each man's supporters and how "scared" a voter would be by an Obama McCain victory. Twenty-three percent of all voters would be enthusiastic about Obama as the next President and 44 percent of Democrats felt that way. Thirteen percent of all voters felt that way about McCain and that included 29 percent of Republicans. On the flip side, 19 percent were "scared" of an Obama presidency compared to 14 percent for McCain. In the Journal/NBC poll, 44 percent of Obama supporters were excited about their candidate compared to 14 percent for McCain among his supporters, and voters said by a 55 percent to 35 percent margin that Obama was the riskier choice.

John McCain has closed the gap with Barack Obama in the key swing states of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to a Quinnipiac University/Washington Post/Wall Street Journal survey conducted July 14-22. (You can find the Quinnipiac numbers here and an easy-to-scan Washington Post interactive graphic here).

The summary:

• Colorado: McCain leads 46 percent to 44 percent with the margin of error at 2.6 percent. Obama lead by 5 points in late June. The state has gone Republican the last three elections, though by less than 5 points in 2004.
• Michigan: Obama still leads here, by 46 percent to 42 percent with a 2.4 percent margin of error. That's down two points from the last poll. Michigan has gone Democrat in the last five elections with the only Republican to win being the first George Bush in 1988.
• Minnesota: Obama is ahead 46 percent to 44 percent with a 2.8 percent margin of error. His previous lead was 17 points. Democrats have won the last five elections here, but the margin in 2004 and 2000 was 3.5 percent or less.
• Wisconsin: Obama leads 50 percent to 39 percent with a 3 percent margin of error. That's also down two points since the last poll. Democrats have carried the state in the last five elections, but by less than one point in 2004 and 2000.

Barack Obama is the favorite over John McCain among Hispanic registered voters by a 66 percent to 23 percent margin, according to a Pew Hispanic Center survey conducted June 9- July 13. Obama is viewed favorably by 76 percent while McCain's number is 44 percent. And, although Obama trailed Hillary Clinton badly during the primary season among Hispanic voters, more than three-quarters of Latinos who voted for Clinton said they were inclined to back Obama in November, which is a better proportion than whites who backed Clinton, of whom 70 percent say they will back Obama and 18 percent say they will vote for McCain.

Barack Obama is leading John McCain 47 percent to 41 percent with 4 percent choosing neither and 6 percent undecided, in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted July 18-21. The margin of error is 3.1 percent. Obama's lead is the same as it was in this poll last month.

Obama held his lead even though voters, by a 55 percent to 35 percent margin, said he was the riskier choice for President.

One of our favorite (and most-used) sites, Pollster.com has undergone a facelift and now, instead of the busy-with-type-home page, you arrive to be greeted by a flashp map that lets you mouse-over all the states to see topline information, and then drill down to get to it. It's available for presidential, Senate and gubernatorial races. Here's the link to the Pollster blog explaining the changes.

Barack Obama has gained on John McCain in all three categories of states - blue (Democratic), purple (competitive) and red (Republican) since he clinched the Democratic nomination in June, according to a Gallup comparison of data it collected between March 7-June 1 and June2-July 20. His lead in blue states has gone up from 13 points to 16 points, by 6 points in purple states and he has cut McCain's advantage in red states by 3 points. When it came to the competitive states, Obama picked up 2 points while McCain dropped 4 points.

We're updating Minnesota today and New Hampshire. The new New Hampshire poll contradicts one we posted yesterday.

• Minnesota: Republican first-termer Norm Coleman is in a statistical tie with Democrat Al Franken , leading him 44 percent to 43 percent in a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 23. Eight percent prefer another candidate, 5 percent are undecided and the margin of error is 4.5 percent. Frank leads 49 percent to 46 percent if "leaners" are counted. Coleman is seen favorably by 57 percent of voters and Franken by 60 percent. A SurveyUSA poll conducted July 11-13 had Coleman ahead by 52 percent to 39 percent with 8 percent undecided. The margin of error was 3.9 percent. Check out our story, "Franken Stumbling in Minnesota Senate Race." CQ Politics changed the rating on this the race from "No Clear Favorite to "Leans Republican."

We're updating our round-up today with three key states - Colorado, Florida and Virginia - where the race between John McCain and Barack Obama looks very competitive right now.

• Colorado: Obama is leading McCain 49 percent to 42 percent, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted July 21. The margin of error is 4.5 percent. However, the contest falls within the margin of error if "leaners" are included. Last month, Obama led by 2 points. Obama's favorable-to-unfavorable numbers are 52 percent to 48 percent and McCain's are 61 percent to 39 percent. In most states where Rasmussen has asked the question so far, voters care more about bringing down the price of gasoline than protecting the environment, but in Colorado they split about evenly. But like voters in other states, they see Afghanistan rather than Iraq as the main front in the war on terrorism and as the greatest threat to national security. A Public Policy Polling survey conducted July 9-10 by had Obama ahead of McCain 47 percent to 43 percent with 10 percent undecided and a 3 point margin of error. This is one of the states, along with Florida, Nevada and New Mexico, where Hispanics may be an important force. They make up 15 percent of the sample in the PPP poll and Obama leads among them 58 percent to 34 percent while running evenly with McCain among white voters. Previously, a Quinnipiac University/Washington Post/Wall Street Journal poll conducted June 17-24 had Obama leading McCain 49 percent to 44 percent with a margin of error of 2.7 percent. Obama has a 12 point lead among independents. The state has gone Republican the last three elections (by less than 5 points in 2004), but the Obama camp thinks they can make it competitive.

CQ Politics has changed its ratings for the races in Colorado, Minnesota and New Hampshire with Colorado going from "No Clear Favorite" to "Leans Democrat"; Minnesota from "No Clear Favorite" to "Leans Republican"; and, in New Hampshire, we will be changing our rating on that race from "No Clear Favorite" to "Leans Democrat." You can keep track of all our ratings by checking the "Senate Races to Watch" page.

• Colorado: Democrat Mark Udall is leading former Republican Rep. Bob Schaffer 47 percent to 43 percent with 3 percent choosing "other" and 6 percent undecided, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 21. That's within the poll's 4.5 percent margin of error. Rasmussen had Udall ahead by 9 a month ago, and its new numbers suggest a closer race than the results from a Public Policy Polling survey conducted July 9-10 which had Udall ahead 47 percent to 38 percent with 14 percent undecided. The margin of error in that poll was 3 percent. A Quinnipiac University/Wall Street Journal/Washington Post poll conducted June 17-24 which had him ahead 48 percent to 38 percent. Udall and Schaffer are vying to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard. CQ Politics rates this race "Leans Democrat."

Today we are updating Ohio, Alaska, Florida and New Hampshire.

• Ohio: McCain is leading Obama 46 percent to 40 percent with 7 percent choosing "other" and 7 percent undecided in a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted July 21. The margin of error is 4.5 percent. McCain's lead is bigger if "leaners" are counted, Rasmussen says. McCain's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio is 57 percent to 39 percent compared to 50 percent to 46 percent for Obama. McCain's strength among Republicans is somewhat higher than Obama's among Democrats, 88 percent to 74 percent. Voters put more importance on reducing the price of gasoline over protecting the environment by 54 percent to 28 percent. They also believe that Afghanistan more than Iraq is the principal front in the war on terror and is the greatest threat to the U.S. The Rasmussen poll is at odds with a Public Policy Polling survey conducted July 17-20 that had Obama ahead 48 percent to 40 percent with 12 percent undecided. Republicans have won three of the last five elections here, although George Bush's victory margins in the last two were by 3.5 points or less.

Barack Obama has put a bit of breathing room between himself and John McCain in Gallup's latest daily tracking poll conducted July 18-20, a survey that included two days of news about Obama abroad. Obama leads 47 percent to 41 percent with 6 percent choosing neither and 6 percent expressing no opinion. The margin of error is 2 points. Gallup notes that this matches his largest lead to date.

Today, we update Ohio, Georgia and New Jersey and add New Hampshire.

• Ohio: Obama is leading McCain 48 percent to 40 percent with 12 percent undecided in a Public Policy Polling survey conducted July 17-20. The margin of error is 3 points. Last month, PPP had Obama ahead 50 percent to 39 percent in contrast to SurveyUSA and Rasmussen Reports polls that had them neck-and-neck. McCain leads among white voters (85 percent of the sample) by 46 percent to 42 percent but Obama has a big 91 percent to 6 percent advantage among black voters (12 percent of the sample). Obama also leads by 33 points among the 15 percent of the sample that is under 29. Obama leads by 20 points among women but lags McCain 7 points among men. Quinnipiac University had Obama ahead 48 percent to 42 percent in a June 9-16 poll. The margin of error was 2.6 percent.

Not a good day for us in the media in Rasmussen Reports-land. The pollster's new surveys say Americans think the press is trying to help Obama win and the economy lose.

In a poll conducted of likely voters July 19, those who thought reporters tried to help a candidate win number 71 percent compared to the 16 percent who believed the ink-stained wretches tried to offer unbiased coverage. Forty-nine percent say that, in the upcoming campaign, the press will tilt to Barack Obama compared to 24 percent who say it will try to cover the race without bias and 14 percent who think it will favor John McCain. As far as the primary season went, 57 percent said Obama got the best treatment, McCain was second at 21 percent and Clinton last at 11 percent. Forty-five percent believe that reporters would try to hide information that would damage the candidate they favored compared to 30 percent who disagree. And all in all, voters trust their family and friends for information about the campaign over the professional press by 43 percent to 29 percent.

Republicans were much more inclined to help Israel than Democrats were.

Thirty-three percent of respondents thought the it was "somewhat" or "very" likely that the U.S. will launch a military attack against Iran before election day.

The July 17th poll has a margin of error of +/- 3 points.

According to Pew's latest results, Obama leads John McCain among women voters, 51 to 37 percent. That's not only up from the 47-42 spread in May, but it's wider than the leads held by John Kerry (1 percentage point) and Al Gore (9 points) at the same point in their campaigns against George Bush.

But Obama trails the records of Kerry and Gore with older women, over age 65. And the pollsters point out another problem with this group for Obama: "23 percent remain undecided about whom to support or say they will vote for another candidate, more than double the share that said that was the case at this point in 2004 (9%) and 2000 (11%)." The pollsters attribute this to some women's preference for Hillary Clinton.

That number is up from 62 percent in early 2001 and 44 percent in 1993. When asked "Do you think homosexuals who do publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military or not?" a majority of almost every group polled said "yes" - regardless of age, party affiliation, gender, religion (including evangelical Christians) and marital status.

The only exception was veterans. The pollsters say: "While 71 percent of veterans said gay people who do not declare themselves as such should be allowed to serve, that number drops sharply, to 50 percent, for those who are open about their sexuality."

The telephone survey was done July 10-13 and has a margin of error of +/- 3 points.