Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Photograph: Bob Brown/AP
Barack Obama's lead over John McCain has widened to eight points a fortnight before the US presidential election, according to the latest poll today.
The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby telephone tracking poll put Obama on 50% and McCain on 42%.
It is the first time Obama has stretched his advantage over McCain to more than six points since the tracking poll began more than two weeks ago.
The pollster John Zogby said: "Things clearly are moving in Obama's direction."
The poll found growing support for Obama among a number of key groups, including Republicans, in the wake of an endorsement from the former Republican secretary of state Colin Powell.
Polling took place between Saturday and Monday. Powell announced his support for Obama on Sunday morning.
"Maybe this is the Powell effect. That wasn't just an endorsement, that was a pretty powerful statement," said Zogby.
His support among Republicans has increased from 9% to 12%. Among independent voters he has opened up a 15% lead.
Obama told NBC television yesterday that Powell was welcome to campaign for him and might have a place in his administration. He said Powell "will have a role as one of my advisers" and that a formal role in his government was "something we'd have to discuss".
A poll released yesterday for CNN-Opinion Research Corp conducted between Friday and Sunday showed Obama's lead had narrowed to six points, 49-43.
Its previous poll gave Obama an 11-point margin.
Obama is currently campaigning in Florida, which voted for George Bush in the last two elections.
On Thursday and Friday he is due to suspend his campaign to fly to Hawaii to visit his seriously ill grandmother.
McCain spent yesterday campaigning in Missouri, which has voted for the winning candidate in every election bar one since 1900.
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