WASHINGTON – Fresh off a rousing victory in South Carolina, Barack Obama leads opponents Hillary Clinton and John Edwards by a large margin in his home state, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll of Illinois voters.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy intends to endorse Obama's effort to become the nation's first Black president during a rally on Monday in Washington, according to the New York Times.
According to the Post-Dispatch poll, 55 percent of the Illinois voters favor Obama, compared to 22 percent for New York Sen. Clinton and 15 percent for former North Carolina Sen. Edwards.
According to the poll, Obama was favored by 51 percent of White voters, 63 percent of Black voters and 39 percent of Hispanics.
But the newspapers poll of voters in Missouri showed Clinton with a sizable lead over Obama and Edwards, with a huge gap among women voters.
According to the poll, Clinton was favored by 44 percent of voters, compared to 31 percent for Obama and 18 percent for Edwards. Among women, Clinton held a 55 percent to 24 percent lead over Obama, the poll showed.
The polls showed all three candidates beating their Republican counterparts in face-to-face matches.
The Post-Dispatch has endorsed Obama in the Democratic primary there Feb. 5 and Arizona Sen. John McCain in the Republican primary.
Kennedy will announce his endorsement at a rally at American University on Monday, hours before the State of the Union Address at the Capitol, the New York Times reported.
Kennedy, long seen by many as the lion of the Democratic Party, made his decision after the South Carolina primary results on Saturday, the newspaper reported.
Obama was asked about Mr. Kennedy’s potential endorsement on ABC News’ “This Week.”
“Well, you know, I’ll let Ted Kennedy speak for himself. And nobody does it better,” Obama said. “But obviously, any of the Democratic candidates would love to have Ted Kennedy’s support. And we have certainly actively sought it. And you know, I will let him make his announcement and his decision when he decides it’s appropriate.”
Kennedy’s niece, Carolina Kennedy, announced her endorsement of Obama in an op-ed article in the New York Times today.
In the article, entitled “A President Like My Father,” Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy wrote, “All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children.”
She went on to write, “Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.”
Link to St. Louis Post Dispatch Missouri presidential poll
Link to St. Louis Post-Dispatch Illinois presidential poll