Poll Has Obama, McCain Tied

Barack Obama and John McCain have moved into a statistical dead heat, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update for the presidential general election, which tracks responses for July 28-30. Obama is supported by 45 percent of respondents, while 44 percent support McCain, the poll shows.Obama briefly held a 49 percent to 40 percent lead over McCain among registered voters "at the height of publicity surrounding his weeklong visit to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East, and Europe," reports Gallup but he hasn't held on to it. "The story of the election through the summer months has been a close race that simply does not seem to want to change. Obama has generally been in the lead, and it is significant that McCain has never held even a 1-point lead among registered voters," reports Gallup.In other words, the race has been essentially stable. Don Frederick of LATimes.com's "Top of the Ticket" blog tells readers he will be "watching the track closely over the next couple of days to see if ... the McCain camp's spot tying, improbably to many, Obama with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears has a clear effect on either candidate's standing." Gallup editor Frank Newport writes: "It may be the conventions in late August and early September that will offer the next potential timeframe for significant and/or sustained change."