Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by five percentage points about a month out from Election Day, according to the long-awaited Albuquerque Journal poll.

Obama’s lead is just outside the margin of error. Writer Jeff Jones goes on to explain the breakdown of voters:

Obama had the support of 45 percent of all likely voters surveyed in the first Journal Poll on the general election, while McCain was supported by 40 percent. An additional 14 percent were undecided.

The poll on the presidential contest was based on telephone interviews Sept. 29-Oct. 2 with 659 registered voters statewide who said they are likely to vote on Nov. 4.

The Journal Poll also finds that New Mexicans are divided on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s worth to the GOP presidential ticket while nearly half of those surveyed thought the economy would get better over the next year.