Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has opened up a double-digit lead over Republican John McCain two weeks after he clinched the nomination, a new poll published has shown.
The nationwide poll conducted by Newsweek showed Mr Obama leading Mr McCain by a margin of 51-36 per cent, indicating that he might have got a bounce from his recent primary victory over Hillary Clinton.
Newsweek said the survey of 1,010 adults nationwide on June 18 and 19, 2008 has a margin of error of 4 points.
Mr Obama's edge in the latest poll is larger than in other recent surveys. A Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday found he had a only a 5-point lead.
Mr Obama was tied at 46 per cent with Mr McCain in a previous Newsweek poll completed in late May, when he was still battling Ms Clinton for the nomination, Newsweek said.
Mr Obama triumphed in early June in a grueling five-month Democratic nomination fight with Ms Clinton. Mr McCain clinched the Republican race in March.
Mr McCain and Mr Obama have clashed sharply on economic and security issues in the campaign's early stages. Mr Obama has tried to link Mr McCain to the policies of unpopular President George W. Bush and Mr McCain has questioned Mr Obama's judgment and experience.
The Newsweek survey indicated that only 14 per cent of Americans say they are satisfied with the direction of the country, and that they see Mr Obama as the preferred agent of "change" by a margin of 51 per cent to 27 percent, Newsweek said.
Newsweek said Obama is doing better at this point in the race than Democratic predecessors Sen. John Kerry and Vice President Al Gore, who both ended up losing their bid for the White House.