WASHINGTON, Nov 1: Democrat Barack Obama’s lead over Republican rival John McCain dipped slightly to five points with three days left in the race for the White House, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zog by poll released on Saturday.

Obama leads McCain by 49 per cent to 44 per cent among likely voters in the three-day national tracking poll, down from a 7-point advantage on Friday. The telephone poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

McCain, who made solid gains in Friday’s single day of polling, sliced Obama’s lead among independents from 15 points to 6 points and among women from 9 points to 4 points.

“There is no doubt that McCain made some gains,” said pollster John Zogby. “It is enough to raise the question, is McCain making a move?”

Obama’s support dropped below the 50 per cent mark after two consecutive days at that level. McCain’s support has never moved above the 45 per cent mark in the more than three weeks the tracking poll has been taken.

Obama has led McCain in every national opinion poll since late September, and McCain also trails in many of the key battleground states including Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

But McCain and his campaign aides say he is clawing back, and McCain enlisted the help of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the battleground state of Ohio on Friday. “I know a winning campaign when I see one,” McCain said.—Reuters