Clinton said electing a Democrat is of paramount importance.

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) - Hillary Clinton pleaded for partisan unity on Thursday, urging Democrats not to abandon their party to vote for John McCain if their preferred candidate fails to secure the nomination.

Clinton was asked by a questioner in the audience here what she would tell frustrated Democrats who might consider voting for McCain in the general election out of spite.

“Please think through this decision,” Clinton said, laughing and emphasizing the word “please.”

“It is not a wise decision for yourself or your country.”

The crowd applauded loudly.

A Gallup poll released this week indicated that 28 percent of Clinton's supporters would back McCain should the New York senator lose her quest for the Democratic nomination.

That compares to the 19 percent of Obama supporters who say they will favor McCain should Clinton be the party’s nominee.

“First of all, every time you have a vigorous contest like we are having in this primary election people get intense,” she continued. “You know, Sen. Obama has intense support. I have intense support.”

Clinton stressed that there are “significant” differences between her and Obama, but said “those differences pale to the differences between us and Sen. McCain.”

“I intend to do everything I can to make sure we have a unified Democratic party,” she said. “When this contest is over and we have a nominee, we’re going to close ranks, we’re going to be united.”

- CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

Obama and McCain's back and forth may be helping McCain.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new national poll suggests the increased bickering between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could affect Democratic turnout in November.

Sixteen percent of Clinton supporters questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday afternoon said they are not likely to vote in the general election if Obama is the Democratic nominee. An equal number of Obama supporters said they'll sit it out come November if Clinton is their party's nominee.

"The problem for the Democratic Party in November may not be crossover votes - Clinton supporters choosing McCain in the fall if Obama wins the nomination, or Obama voters doing likewise if Clinton gets the nod," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The real problem may be that those disaffected Clinton or Obama supporters may just stay at home in November, which could cost the party dearly in some key states.

"If the Obama stay-at-home vote is largely African-American, that will affect Democrats' chances on the ballot in several Southern states, and could take states like Virginia off the table completely," he said. "It might even hurt Democrats in states where the party relies on heavy turnout in large urban areas, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio. And if the Clinton stay-at-home vote is predominantly female, that will hurt the party everywhere."

It should be noted, however, that polls are a snapshot of how people feel at the moment. If the Democrats can come together and agree on a nominee, most of the ill-will could be just a memory by November.

But a look back in history shows primary animosity has carried over into the general election before.

In 1980, the nomination fight between Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy lasted all the way to the convention. The result was a drop in the number of liberals who voted in the fall.

In 1992, Pat Buchanan staged a conservative challenge to the first George Bush that left many of his followers angry at the incumbent. The result was a drop in the number of conservatives who came out to vote in the general election.

Both Carter and Bush lost those elections.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted by telephone from Friday through Sunday, with 1,019 Americans questioned, including 227 registered Democrats who said they support Hillary Clinton and 218 registered Democrats who said they back Barack Obama. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.

A new poll shows good news for Obama.

(CNN)— One day after a Gallup poll suggested a third of Hillary Clinton’s supporters would back John McCain this fall if she does not capture the Democratic nomination, a new survey indicates roughly as many Barack Obama voters would do the same if he is not the party’s nominee.

Thirty-two percent of Clinton’s supporters claim they will vote for McCain if she is not at the top of the ticket in a Pew Research Center poll released Thursday; 28 percent of Obama’s supporters say they will back the Republican nominee if the New York senator is the Democrats’ general election candidate.

The poll also finds controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright appears not to have done permanent damage. Despite unprecedented public attention – coverage of Wright’s sermons “attracted more public attention than any events thus far in the 2008 presidential campaign,” according to Pew - the Illinois senator still maintained a 49 percent to 39 percent advantage over Clinton in the survey.

Overall, the survey found voters’ opinions of the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, were virtually unchanged from results in a February Pew poll. But 64 percent of voters now believe Republicans will unite behind the Arizona senator, up from 58 percent in February.

The survey of 1,503 adults was conducted March 19-22 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

–CNN’s Emily Sherman