I am an official campaign blogger for the Obama campaign, and this is crossposted at BarackObama.com.
In Iowa -- where voters across the state have had a chance to see all of the candidates up close and learn about where they stand -- Barack Obama continues to surge in support and is now leading the Democratic field, according to a just-released ABC News / Washington Post poll.
According to the poll, Obama leads among all likely caucus-goers with 30%, compared with Clinton at 26% and Edwards at 22%. Obama also leads among those who are "certain to attend" the January 3rd caucus, those who have previously caucused, and those who are planning to caucus for the first time.
Obama also showed that he's the candidate who is resonating the most with women voters. 32% of women polled are supporting Obama, compared with 31% for Clinton and 19% for Edwards.
And by a 2 to 1 margin, Iowans find Obama more "honest and trustworthy" than Clinton.
Also of note: Obama doubled Clinton's support among Independent voters (Obama 35% to Clinton 18%)-- another indicator that he will be the strongest candidate going into the general election. For more on Obama's general election strength, check out the diary I posted last week, which shows Obama leading among Iowa voters when matched up to Republican opponents.
Clearly, Iowans, the people who know Obama best, like what they see -- a leader who can bring the country in a new direction and speak honestly and forthrightly about what he believes in.
Click here for a PDF with charts and data from the poll.
Clinton Obama Edwards Richardson
All likely voters 26% 30 22 11
Certain to attend 26 28 23 12
Attended previous caucus 21 27 26 11
First time 34 35 14 11
Men 19 28 25 15
Women 31 32 19 8
Democrats 28 28 22 10
Independents 18 35 24 10