Clinton trails in recent Iowa poll (Updated: And leads in another)
Two days ago, the Clinton campaign reacted to a new poll showing Hillary slipping behind rival Barack Obama by criticizing it as flawed and embracing another survey that showed her with a slight lead.
Now, an updated version of the survey the Clinton campaign preferred - - done by Zogby International - - also shows her trailing the senator from Illinois.
The Reuters/C-Span/Zogby Iowa daily tracking poll shows Obama with a seven point lead over Clinton, who it indicates has slipped to third place in Iowa behind former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. Obama was the choice of 31 percent of respondents, the first time he's passed 30 percent in the poll. Edwards was at 27 percent and Clinton at 24 percent. No other Democrat polled in the double digits.
Five percent of Democrats remain undecided, according to the poll, which means Clinton could either make up ground or suffer an even greater defeat.
Among Republicans, Mike Huckabee has strengthened to 31 percent in Iowa, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has slumped to 25 percent and Arizona Sen. John McCain has slid to 10 percent. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has barely campaigned here, moved backward to 6 percent.
On Tuesday, Clinton pollster Mark Penn griped that a the poll showing Clinton as slipping - - a survey by the Des Moines Register - - should be discounted because it used a different methodology than it had four years ago. He said the Zogby poll, which as of Dec. 30 showed Clinton with a four - point lead over Obama, was more reliable.
What a difference four days can make.
Update: But see comments, below, where a reader correctly notes that Hillary is up in a new ARG poll.
--Martin Evans