Rasmussen: Biden a Lukewarm Choice

By Rick Moran

Rasmussen polled Democrats about the choice of Joe Biden as running mate and found rather tepid support for the Delaware senator.

Just 39% supported the decision while 25% thought Biden was a bad choice and fully 35% weren't sure - not much of a ringing endorsement from the party faithful to be sure.

What's more, a bare majority of women supported the decision. This is a reflection of many Democratic women's belief that Hillary Clinton was disrespected by the Obama campaign when they didn't vet or consult her on the choice.

Meanwhile, a new Washington Post poll shows the race in pretty much of a holding pattern:

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are locked in a highly competitive race for the White House, with voters giving McCain a clear edge as a potential commander in chief but Obama a sizable advantage on economic issues, the subject of greatest concern to voters, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Heading into two critical weeks of the campaign -- the four-day Democratic National Convention is set to open here on Monday, followed by the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities next week -- Obama maintains a narrow, six-point edge over McCain among registered voters. Among those most likely to vote, 49 percent back Obama and 45 percent back McCain.

That poll is virtually unchanged from July's numbers.

Meanwhile, Quinnipiac has come out with a Colorado poll that shows the race dead even in that state. While Colorado has been a reliable Republican bastion in the past, demographic changes in the last decade has made any statewide race there very competitive.

Currently, McCain leads Obama 46-44 after trailing Obama last month 49-45. Once again, we see Obama falling back rather than McCain gaining much ground. More voters are in the undecided column as a result.

It will be interesting to watch Rasmussen's daily tracking polls this week to see how much support Obama gets during the Democratic Convention in Denver.