Hearst-Argyle Conducting National Polls

Hearst-Argyle Television is conducting national polling on the presidential race and key national issues.

By P.J. Bednarski -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/26/2008 11:53:00 AM

For the first time, Hearst-Argyle Television, which owns 26 stations, is conducting national polling on the presidential race and key national issues, the first of which it released Thursday morning.

It shows Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) leading Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) nationally by a margin of 42%-36%. Perhaps significantly, Obama also leads McCain among Hispanic voters by a similar margin, 44%-34%. Obama had difficulty attracting Hispanic voters during primary battles with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

The poll also shows that under President Bush, 78% of registered voters believe "the country is on the wrong track," consistent within a few percentage points with recent ABC-Washington Post, AP-Ipsos and CBS-The New York Times polls.

The poll was conducted by Franklin & Marshall College, located in Lancaster, Pa., where the company operates WGAL. The NBC affiliate has a longstanding relationship with the school, which has polled Pennsylvania voters since 1992. F&M's Center for Public Research conducted interviews from June 16-22.