(CNN) - Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is leading in the battleground state of Michigan, according to a poll released Friday.
Obama leads Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, by 7 percentage points – 46 percent versus 39 percent. In the survey, 12 percent said they were unsure about their choice for president, 2 percent supported Ralph Nader, and 1 percent backed the Libertarian Party's Bob Barr.
The Detroit Free Press/Local 4 poll of 600 likely Michigan voters was conducted August 17-20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
CNN considers Michigan a toss-up state. Click here to see CNN's Electoral Map.
(CNN) – Sen. Barack Obama called some people on his short-list for the vice presidential slot Thursday night to tell them he had not selected them as running mate, a highly placed Democratic party source told CNN.
The source did not say which people got the call.
Obama has told some other potential running mates over the last few weeks that he would not be choosing them.
Watch a clip from Graham's interview Thursday on American Morning.
(CNN) – Ever wonder what its like to be on the short list? Well, former senator Bob Graham can tell you because the Florida Democrat was vetted three times – in 1988, 1992, and 2004 – for the #2 spot on his party’s ticket.
“Well, the process is very intense,” Graham told CNN’s Carol Costello on American Morning Friday. “Typically they will have a lawyer, accountant, a political operative, and a private detective reviewing your background for every issue that might arise.”
There’s more. “You are interviewed on several occasions,” said Graham. “If you make it to the short ‘short list’ you get interviewed by the nominee.”
Graham also told Costello that he didn’t think a detailed list he keeps of daily to-do tasks had anything to do with being overlooked for the vice presidential nomination.
Watch Pawlenty's interview on American Morning Friday.
(CNN) – Less than a day after the Obama campaign put out a new ad about Sen. John McCain’s recent inability to state the number of houses he owns with his wife Cindy, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is defending the presumptive Republican nominee.
“Barack Obama made over $4 million last year, has his own million-dollar home in Chicago that involved some dealings with a pretty shady character,” Pawlenty said Friday on American Morning making a reference to Obama’s ties to convicted Chicago businessman Tony Rezko. “And now you have him saying he’s more in touch with the common person in the United States than John McCain?,” Pawlenty asked rhetorically. “I mean, give a break. Give me a break.”
Pawlenty told CNN’s John Roberts that McCain “was trying to be accurate” when he told journalists recently that McCain’s staff could answer a question about how many homes the McCains own. “He has a home he lives in Washington, two in Arizona and one in California.”
“But it gets more complicated than that,” added Pawlenty “because Cindy’s family has family homes.” “And some of those other homes are not for the exclusive use of Sen. McCain.”
Pawlenty also told Roberts that he did not think McCain had forgotten how many homes he owns.
The Minnesota governor is widely regarded as being on McCain’s short list of potential running mates.
(CNN) - Well over two months have passed since Hillary Clinton formally abandoned her White House bid, but newly-released Federal Election Commission reports show the New York senator has made little headway in paying off her sizeable campaign debt.
According to an FEC report filed Wednesday, Clinton's debt as of the end of July stood at just under $24 million - a decrease of only $1.2 million since the end of June. More than $13 million of that total is owed to the New York senator herself, while close to $11 million is owed to individual vendors. Clinton has suggested she is not seeking to pay back the money she owes herself.
The report also shows Clinton was only able to raise $2 million in the month of July - down from close to $3 million in June. By comparison, Barack Obama raised over $50 million for his White House bid in the same time period.
The report comes as some high-profile Clinton backers have expressed disappointment Obama has not made more of an effort to help his onetime rival retire her campaign debt.
“He has provided her with a pittance compared to what the Clintons have given Obama,” prominent Clinton backer Lynn Forrester told the Times of London. “Her debt could have been cleared within 10 days. It’s ungracious.”
Obama and Clinton have appeared at a handful of joint fundraising events, and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has publicly urged his supporters to donate to his former primary season rival - though at a joint appearance with Clinton at a July fundraiser, the Illinois senator forgot to call on his backers to contribute to her. (He later went back on stage to correct himself.)
According to Clinton's disclosure forms filed Thursday, she owes the most ($5.2 million) to her former top advisor Mark Penn's polling/political consulting firm, Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates.
CNN: Source: Obama was 'hung up' on change vs. experience
The VP choice was a difficult one for Obama, a source close to the Illinois senator tells CNN's Gloria Borger. Specifically Obama was "very hung up on the experience versus change,” the source said, and how his message of change may conflict with a longtime Washington insider.
Washington Post: Take the McCain House Tour!
Indoor and outdoor swimming pools! Spas and state-of-the-art fitness centers! Views of the Arizona mountains, the Pacific Ocean and downtown Phoenix!
Washington Post: Contracts Went to a Longtime Donor
Two years ago, the office of Michelle Obama, the vice president for community relations at the University of Chicago Medical Center, published a glossy report detailing the improvements her office had made in the lives of local residents, in part by increasing ties to minority contractors.
CNN’s John King: Professor Obama and the August Curse
Do the Democrats have an August curse? That’s probably not the best way to put it, but in elections they have lost, Democrats often look back and view August as a wasted or just plain horrible month.
LA Times: Undecided voter? There may be no such thing
Researchers find that many people who think they are uncertain have unconsciously made up their minds based on deep-seated beliefs.
CNN Radio: Secret secret, I’ve got a secret
Yes, he's decided, but no, he's not telling thank you very much At least not just yet. The running mate spotlight sits on Sen. Barack Obama, as Sen. John McCain takes a break from it. Bob Costantini has today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.
Chicago Tribune: Jackson eclipsed in the age of Obama
For most of Jesse Jackson's life, his trademark declaration — "I am somebody!" — has been self-evident. But not so much anymore. The rise of Barack Obama and a surge of young leaders in the civil rights movement are raising questions about how big a somebody Jackson really is these days.
* Sen. John McCain has no public events.
* Sen. Barack Obama has no public events.
From CNN Politics
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