Obama back on top in NY over McCain

A recent WNBC/Marist had listed McCain as beating Obama 48-46 in NY (while Clinton was leading McCain by the same margin).  A new Quinnipiac poll shows Obama up 47-39 over McCain (with Clinton holding a 49-37 lead).

The difference:  who they polled.  Marist polled 576 registered voters.  Quinnipiac polled 1257 likely voters.  This reduces the Margin of Error from 4% to 2.8 percent.  Also, likely voter polls are more likely to be accurate than registered voter polls.

When looking at polls, always look at both the margin of error and the screen.  How many people were polled (bigger is always better) and are they registered or likely voters?   Finally, know your pollster.  New Yorkers know to distrust Marist polls.  They frequently use student surveyers who cut corners in getting results.

Besides,  who really thinks that Obama will not win New York?