Poll Suggests McCain Reenergizing Unhappy Bush Voters

A new AP-Yahoo poll shows Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) pulling even with either Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) or Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in a potential general election match up. Five months earlier the same poll showed a generic Republican candidate trailing a Democrat by 13 points.

How did McCain close the gap?

Of those who have moved toward McCain, about two-thirds voted for President Bush in 2004 but are now unhappy with him, including many independents who lean Republican. The remaining one-third usually support Democrats but like McCain anyway.

The poll also cites McCain’s “increasingly likeable image” and:

Also helping the Arizona senator close the gap: Individuals’ opinions of Hillary Rodham Clinton have soured slightly, while their views of Barack Obama have improved though less impressively than McCain’s.

The survey suggests that those switching to McCain are largely attuned to his personal qualities and McCain may benefit from the two Democrats sniping at each other during their prolonged nomination fight.