US Democrat presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is leading her party rival Barack Obama by only 5 percentage points in Pennsylvania, a new survey shows, indicating that she might not be headed for a convincing victory that she needs to jumpstart her stuttering campaign.
With margin of error at plus-minus 4 per cent, the new poll shows statistical dead heat between two rivals.
At one time, Clinton had led Obama by double digits but he has slowly eroded her lead to a point at which he could feel comfortable.
The just released Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found that Clinton trails Obama by 5 points in Indiana and by 13 points in North Carolina.
The poll found Clinton leading Obama 46 per cent to 41 per cent in Pennsylvania -- a far cry from the double-digit margins she held in earlier polls.
But the voting pattern could change substantially as a large number of likely voters for Democratic primaries are still undecided -- 12 per cent in Pennsylvania, 19 per cent in Indiana and 17 per cent in North Carolina.
But the results do underscore the rough road ahead for Clinton in the balloting in Pennsylvania and, on May 6, in Indiana and North Carolina, the Times noted.
With Obama leading Clinton in the number of convention delegates selected, states won and popular votes cast, she is hoping that a decisive win in Pennsylvania and a victory in Indiana will slow Obama's momentum and bolster her plea for support from the party's superdelegates -- the elected officials, party leaders and activists who likely will decide the nomination.
The poll, conducted under the supervision of Times Poll director Susan Pinkus, interviewed 623 voters in Pennsylvania, 687 in Indiana and 691 in North Carolina who expected to cast Democratic ballots.
The telephone interviews took place Thursday through Monday, meaning the bulk were conducted just as controversy broke out over an Obama remark widely criticised as demeaning rural voters in Pennsylvania, the Times said.
He suggested that for some residents of small towns, their commitment to gun rights, religious faith and hostility towards foreign trade had its roots in their "bitterness" about economic hardships.
No question specifically on the controversy was asked. However, voters were asked about another controversy that has dogged the candidate in recent weeks: racially incendiary comments made by the Rev Jeremiah A Wright Jr, the now-retired pastor of Obama's church in Chicago.
The furore prodded Obama to deliver a major speech on racial relations in America last month.
In Pennsylvania, the flap seems to have marginally helped Obama more than hurt him: 24 per cent said his handling of the issue made them think more highly of him; 15 per cent said it made them think less highly of him; 58 per cent said it made no difference in their views.
Many Democratic voters, however, see Obama's association with Wright as posing a problem for him in the general election -- 46 per cent in Pennsylvania said they expected it to hamper him in a contest with presumptive Republican nominee John McCain; in Indiana, 47 per cent agreed with that, and in North Carolina, 42 per cent.
One reason Clinton is struggling in Indiana and North Carolina, the Times said, is that a mainstay of her coalition in earlier contests -- women -- have been defecting.
In Indiana, the poll found women split their vote, 35 per cent for each candidate. In North Carolina, they favoured Obama, 43 per cent to 36 per cent.
