Ras Head to Head: Obama beats McCain by 5%; Clinton beats McCain by 2%

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds New York Senator Hillary Clinton with a two-point advantage over Arizona Senator John McCain in the race for the White House. It’s Clinton 47% McCain 45%.

Clinton leads by seven among women. McCain leads by three among men.

While the “lead” is statistically insignificant, it is a big improvement for the former First Lady. McCain has led Clinton in the three previous Rasmussen Reports election polls of this match-up. In fact, earlier in January, McCain had his biggest advantage of the season over Clinton, leading by twelve. That poll now looks more like an aberration as it was the only time in seventeen polls of this match-up that Clinton’s support has been anywhere but the mid-40 percent range.

McCain’s support, at 45% is down from the three previous surveys which each showed him with support ranging from 47% to 49%.

The current election poll also shows McCain trailing Barack Obama. As has become the norm, Obama’s advantage over McCain is slightly larger than Clinton’s. It’s Obama 46% McCain 41%. Earlier in January, McCain had held a slight lead over Obama.