Below The Beltway

The economic crisis and the post-debate spin seem to be playing in Barack Obama’s favor, because he continues to maintain a significant lead in the polls.

The Rasmussen poll shows Obama expanding his lead to the biggest margin over McCain to date:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 51% of the vote while John McCain earns 44%. This seven-point advantage is the largest yet enjoyed by Obama during Election 2008 and is consistent with the stable lead he has enjoyed over the past week. For each of the past seven days, Obama has been at 50% or 51% and McCain has been at 44% or 45%

Forty-two percent (42%) of voters are certain they will vote for Obama and will not change their mind. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say the same about McCain. Fifteen percent (15%) express a preference for one of the candidates but could still change their mind. Just over 1% remain committed to a third-party candidate while 3% remain undecided.

Nationally, Obama is viewed favorably by 58% of voters, McCain by 52%. This is McCain’s lowest his favorable rating since June 15

And the continued focus on the economy is clearly playing to Obama’s strengths with voters:

Obama leads 63% to 32% among voters who name the economy as the top voting issue. McCain lead 74% to 24% among those who say that national security is the highest priority. Fifty percent (50%) of voters say the economy is most important while just 19% see national security that way

As long as that remains the case, it is going to be next to impossible for McCain to make a breakthrough.

The Gallup tracking poll, meanwhile, shows Obama gaining a point on McCain and continuing a lead that has lasted nearly a week:

PRINCETON, NJ — Registered voters currently prefer Barack Obama (48%) to John McCain (43%) for president, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.

These results, based on Sept. 29-Oct.1 interviewing, mark the sixth consecutive day that Obama has enjoyed a statistically significant lead over McCain. He has generally been ahead of McCain since the financial crisis intensified two weeks ago, and for much of the campaign since June, apart from the week after the Republican National Convention in early September.

In addition to the two tracking polls, there are two new national polls that show Obama ahead.

First, the CBS/New York Times poll has Obama up by nine points:

With the first presidential debate completed and both candidates grappling with the turmoil on Wall Street and in Washington, Senator Barack Obama is showing signs of gaining significant support among voters with less than five weeks left until Election Day, while Senator John McCain’s image has been damaged by his response to the financial crisis.

A CBS News poll released Wednesday found that Mr. Obama’s favorability rating, at 48 percent, is the highest it has ever been in polls conducted by CBS and The New York Times. At the same time, the number of voters who hold an unfavorable view of Mr. McCain — 42 percent — is as high as it has been since CBS News and The Times began asking the question about Mr. McCain in 1999, the first time he ran for president.

The CBS News poll showed that Mr. Obama had a nine-percentage-point lead over Mr. McCain — 49 percent to 40 percent. It is the first time Mr. Obama has held a statistically significant lead over Mr. McCain this year in polls conducted by CBS or joint polls by CBS and The Times.

And a Marist College poll shows Obama ahead by five:

Senator Barack Obama leads Senator John McCain 47% to 43% among registered voters nationwide. Obama enjoys a similar lead among likely voters including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate. Here, he edges McCain 49% to 44%. In a similar survey released by Marist College last week, registered voters nationally reported they prefer Obama to McCain by the same proportion – 47% to 43%. Despite last Friday’s presidential debate and the nation’s economic crisis, likely voters, including those leaning toward a candidate, also have not swayed. In last week’s survey, 49% said they supported Obama and 44% backed McCain. That’s the same proportion of voters who are behind each candidate today. Support splits along party lines. 88% of Democrats and 89% of Republican

The trend has been set. Tonight, we’ll find out if Sarah Palin can change things.