Poll: Democrats in virtual dead heat in Nevada; GOP close too

THE RACE: The presidential race for Democrats and Republicans in Nevada.

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THE NUMBERS - DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama, 32 percent

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 30 percent

John Edwards, 27 percent

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THE NUMBERS - REPUBLICANS

John McCain, 22 percent

Rudy Giuliani, 18 percent

Mike Huckabee, 16 percent

Mitt Romney, 15 percent.

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OF INTEREST:

The poll indicates the Democratic race in Nevada is virtually a dead heat between the three leading candidates with less than a week before the state's caucuses on Saturday. That's a major change from November, when a poll showed Clinton with 45 percent, Obama 20 percent and Edwards 12 percent.

The poll shows the Republican race also is close. McCain, who hasn't spent much time in the state, clearly has made great gains. He had only 8 percent support in Nevada in a poll in August. Until recently, Giuliani and Romney had been going back and forth as the GOP front-runner. In November, Giuliani had 29 percent and Romney 22 percent.

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Maryland-based Research 2000 conducted the poll for the Reno Gazette-Journal Jan. 11 to Jan. 13, with samples of 500 likely Democratic caucus-goers and 500 likely Republican caucus-goers. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.