Obama leads McCain by 6 points: Poll

But Obama8217;s message of change may resonate with a disgruntled electorate after eight years of a Republican-run White House. Only 13 per cent of those polled believed the country was headed in the right direction. That was the lowest percentage on this question in the NBC/Journal poll8217;s history.

The sagging economy remains the public8217;s top concern, but voters do not have much confidence in either candidate on that issue, with 28 per cent saying they had faith Obama could put it back on track, while 17 per cent said that of McCain.

Obama8217;s lead over McCain expands to 13 points when third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are included, with Obama at 48 percent, McCain at 35 per cent, Nader at 5 per cent and Barr at 2 per cent, the poll said.

The survey of 1,003 registered voters was conducted July 18-21, during Obama8217;s trip to the Middle East and Europe. It had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.