LEXINGTON, Ky. _ The color of Sen. Barack Obama's skin is a negative for some Kentucky voters, a new poll shows, but it's far from the only reason the Democratic presidential candidate is trailing Republican Sen. John McCain in the state.
The Herald-Leader/WKYT Kentucky Poll shows 12 percent of respondents said the fact that Obama, if elected, would be the first black president of the United States made them less likely to vote for him compared to 5 percent who said it made them more likely to support him. Eighty-three percent said Obama's race didn't affect their vote.
Overall, Obama, who is the child of a white mother and black father, trails McCain in Kentucky by 16 points, 55 percent to 39 percent, the poll results show.
"Let's not be naive. Race is a factor with Obama. But is it costing him winning the state? No. There are a lot of other factors at work," said Del Ali, president of the polling firm Research 2000 in Olney, Md., which conducted the survey.
Read the complete story at kentucky.com