Clinton Leads Democrats in Iowa

Hillary Rodham Clinton leads a new Des Moines Register poll of Democratic voters expected to turnout for the Iowa presidential caucuses.

Clinton, a New York senator, garnered 29 percent, an increase from the Register’s poll in May, while John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, slipped to 23 percent, nearly even with Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who remained at 22 percent.

In the May poll, Clinton trailed Edwards by 8 points and was even with Obama.

The poll showed all other Democratic hopefuls continued to slip far behind that trio. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had 8 percent, down slightly from May, while Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware had 5 percent, up slightly from May. All other Democratic hopefuls had less than 1 percent.

The telephone poll surveyed 399 likely Democratic caucus voters on Oct. 1-3 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent, which kept Obama and Edwards within striking distance of Clinton in Iowa’s January contest.