New poll shows a sizeable lead for McCain in Kentucky

New poll data from SurveyUSA provides more evidence to the school of thought that presumptive Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is holding a large lead in the Bluegrass state.

Gelling with earlier results from Research 2000, the SurveyUSA poll shows McCain with a 55 to 37 percent lead over presumptive Democratic nominee and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill).

Research 2000 put McCain up by 21 over Obama, according to data collected in late July.

Around the same time period, however, a Rasmussen Reports poll showed Obama on the uptick and cutting McCain's lead to ten points, leaving some questions open about where the state stood.

SurveyUSA's data showing the 18 point lead for McCain is their latest from the firm on the state's presidential race since a June 12 poll showed McCain with a 53 to 41 percent lead.

The latest data - collected from August 9 to 11 - measures sentiment from 636 "likely voters" from across the state. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.

Among those respondents, McCain leads across all age demographics, even pulling a five percent lead among voters aged 18 to 34 - the young constituency typically linked by analysts to Obama's campaign.

McCain also pulls a large chunk of Democrats to his side, garnering 34 percent of the opposition party's registered voters compared to Obama's 59 percent.

Support from among Democrats - the registered majority in the state - may be a concern for the Obama camp in Kentucky, as their candidate lost the state's Democratic primary by 35 points to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

McCain's harvesting of Democratic support in the poll even outweights that earned by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the state's U.S. Senate race. McConnell typically enjoys support from some of the state's registered Democrats, and pulled 30 percent support from among them in SurveyUSA's recent measurement of his race against Louisville businessman Bruce Lusnford.

Despite the registration majority for Democrats, George W. Bush also won the state twice over his Democratic opponent.

McCain holds leads larger than 20 percent in regional breakdowns of respondents in western Kentucky, eastern Kentucky, and northern/central Kentucky.

Obama still holds a lead in the Louisville area, at 49 to 45 percent. That area is comprised mainly of Jefferson County - one of two counties Obama carried in the state against Clinton in the May 20 primary.