New poll: Obama increases lead over McCain in Oregon

Forty-six percent of Oregonians support U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and 37 percent support U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in their respective bids for the presidency, a new Rasmussen poll released Wednesday shows.

Obama increased his lead slightly from the last Rasmussen poll conducted in June, where he led McCain 46 percent to 38 percent. The new poll also reveals an increasing gap from a June 24 SurveyUSA poll, which had McCain polling within the margin of error.

The survey questioned Oregoninans on several issues, including President Bush's proposal for offshore drilling, a policy McCain supports. Oregonians are less likely to support the policy; 50 percent of Oregonians believe that protecting the environment is more important than reducing the price of gas and oil.

The survey was conducted by telephone to 500 likely voters on July 15. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points.