Barack Obama continues to lead John McCain among likely New Mexico voters in the upcoming presidential race, while Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall put even more space between himself and Republican Steve Pearce, two new Rasmussen Reports polls show.



The telephone survey of 500 New Mexico voters conducted June 19 and released today shows Obama leading McCain 47 percent to 39 percent. A similar poll in May put Obama ahead 50 to 41 percent, suggesting more voters are undecided now. The two were tied in February.



As in other states, Obama fared better among women in New Mexico, with 11 percent more favoring him over McCain. Men also gave Obama the nod, but by a smaller margin — 7 percentage points. Rasmussen says the poll’s margin of error is 4.5 points.



Both candidates can claim a share of voters in the opposite party: Obama is favored by 15 percent of Republicans, while McCain can claim 18 percent of Democrats.



New Mexico voters don’t appear to have many qualms over the personal credentials of either candidate. Fewer than one third (30 percent) said McCain is too old to be president, while 63 percent said his age isn’t a factor. Obama’s experience was more of an issue, but a slim majority (46 percent to 43 percent) said he was experienced enough to be president.



Pollsters found little support for Obama choosing Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running mate, however. Only 27 percent of New Mexico voters approved that matchup, while 51 percent nixed it.



In the Senate race, Udall saw his previous lead of 16 percentage points jump dramatically, according to Rasmussen. The June poll shows Udall ahead 58 percent to 30 percent; last month, the Santa Fe Democrat led 53 to 37 percent.



Pollsters found Pearce had only 69 percent of the Republican vote. Among unaffiliated voters, Udall led 46 percent to Pearce’s 27 percent.