New Poll--Alaska: McCain: 44% Obama: 42% Barr: 3%

[book_worm]

Democratic-funded poll out of Alaska suggests that Barack Obama's pledge to expand the traditional Electoral College playing field this fall may well find fertile soil in places that haven't seen a competitive presidential race in decades.

John McCain leads Obama 44 percent to 42 percent in Alaska, with Libertarian nominee Bob Barr taking 3 percent, according to the Global Strategy Group survey, which was conducted for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and obtained by The Fix.

(For Senate junkies out there, the poll also showed Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, the likely Democratic nominee, ahead of GOP Sen. Ted Stevens.)

Those numbers are startling on their face and all the more stunning when considering recent presidential elections in the Last Frontier. In 2004, President George W. Bush won 61 percent in Alaska compared with just 35.5 percent for John Kerry. Four years earlier, Bush won 59 percent to 28 percent over Al Gore. The Fix, no math major, was able to divine that the average percentage of the Alaska vote for the Democratic presidential nominee in the last two elections was 31.6 percent.

The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, who crushed Barry Goldwater 66 percent to 34 percent. Since then, the best showing was Hubert Humphrey 43 percent showing in 1968. No Democrat since then has broken 36 percent of the vote.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/06/obama_in_alaska.html

[cbc5g]

1. VA - Last time Dem won was 64 .. AK - Last time Dem won was 64

We're gonna make that statistic 08 this year.

[Drunken Irishman]

2. I'm really starting to think we're going to see an EC landslide.

Obama very well could hit 400+ electoral votes!

[Hope And Change]

3. Great news!K & R!

[ronnykmarshall]

4. Holy carp!!

[Imagevision]

5. Not too shabby, I agree, Obama will landslide McBush...

[anonymous171]

6. K&R

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. Yes!! I hate Ted "Bridge To Nowhere" Stevens!! He must be GONE!!

[FrenchieCat]

8. me likee!

Really, I do! :)

[dempartisan23]

9. great news

the poll was done by a democratic organization though. it may not be totally objective.