Politics | Barack Obama Obama Pulls Ahead of McCain by 8 Points Likely nominee now has majority of pledged delegates By Jason Farago Posted May 21, 2008 8:12 AM CDT Copied Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrives for a rally in Des Monies, Iowa, Tuesday, May 20, 2008, with his wife michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, second from left. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Barack Obama, who claimed a majority of pledged delegates last night after his win in the Oregon primary, has opened up an 8-point lead over John McCain in national polling, reports Reuters. Obama, who was tied with McCain in the Reuters/Zogby poll a month ago, also doubled, to 26 points, his lead over Hillary Clinton among Democrats. In a Clinton-McCain matchup, the two candidates are at level pegging. Obama outpolled McCain 48% to 39% on the key issue of economic competence, which McCain led by 3 points last month. The Illinois senator also leads among independents and some demographics that he has struggled with in the primary: Catholics, Jews, union households, and the working class. McCain led among whites, NASCAR fans, and voters over 65. Read These Next James Carville has a new 4-word political mantra. "Theo" from The Cosby Show has died at age 54. Eleven arrested following viral video of honor killing. Dog the Bounty Hunter shares unimaginably sad news. Report an error