Gallup: Independent Gap Narrows

As the presidential race tightens in recent polls, independent voters are following suit according to Gallup, whose data on independents shows their opinion gap narrowing.

Independents prefer Barack Obama to John McCain 45 percent to 44, according to Gallup’s latest poll–a margin five points slimmer than last week’s split of Obama 47 percent, McCain 41 percent.

This week’s data brings the candidates’ within the poll’s one percent margin of error.

Obama and McCain have been neck and neck among independents this summer, with Obama leading narrowly. Independents chose Obama 46 percent to 44 percent in early June and 45 percent to 43 percent in late June. Mid-July numbers showed Obama leading by three percentage points; today’s poll signifies the narrowest gap since then.