Rasmussen: Obama Holds Lead in New Mexico

Barack Obama has maintained his lead over John McCain in New Mexico from last month, with likely voters in the state preferring the Illinois Democrat 47 percent to 39 percent in the Rasmussen’s latest poll.

The firm’s May poll showed Obama leading McCain 50 percent to 41 percent.

Before May, Obama and McCain matched up evenly in the state. During the primaries, Obama’s head-to-head matchup with McCain showed him tied with the Arizona senator at 44 percent in February. In April, Obama opened up a 3 percentage-point lead.

New Mexico has shown narrow preferences in recent presidential races. Former Vice President Al Gore won the state by 365 votes in 2000, and President George Bush won the state by fewer than 6,000 votes in 2004.