New poll shows McCain in the lead

Just days before Democrats are set to gather in Denver to nominate Barack Obama, a new poll out Wednesday morning showed Republican rival John McCain taking a surprising lead.

{mosads}The Reuters/Zogby poll showed the Arizona senator taking a five-point lead over his Democratic rival. That lead, perhaps most surprisingly, was due in large part to voters polled who gave the Arizona Republican the edge in handling the economy.

The new poll, which will likely only add to increasing Democratic jitters, comes after a sustained attack effort by McCain and just after a weeklong vacation for Obama (Ill.).

On “Fox and Friends” Wednesday morning, Republican strategist Karl Rove, the man largely credited with getting President Bush elected twice, said Obama is behind in the expectations game at this point.

“Right now we expect Obama to be way ahead,” Rove said. “He isn’t.”

The poll shows McCain taking a 46-41 lead over the Illinois senator, which is a reversal from the 7-point advantage Obama enjoyed when the same poll was conducted in July, according to Reuters.

What is likely most troubling for Democrats is that McCain has taken the lead in that poll — 49 percent to 40 percent — on the question of which candidate would be the best manager of the economy.