WASHINGTON – The endless primary season has cleaved Democratic voters along racial and gender lines like no other contest in decades.
Black Democrats – one of the party’s most crucial voting blocs – overwhelmingly support Barack Obama while whites prefer Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The latest daily tracking poll by Rasmussen Reports released yesterday shows Obama beating Clinton 81-7 percent among black voters.
Whites, by a far smaller margin, prefer Clinton.
The poll shows Clinton leading 50-39 percent among white Democrats.
A similar schism has emerged between men and women.
Clinton collects 51 percent of women to Obama’s 40, while her lead among white women jumps to 28 points.
Among men, Obama leads by 32 percentage points, 60-28.
Overall, according to Rasmussen, Obama leads Clinton 48-41 among all Democratic voters.
But for now, all eyes are on Pennsylvania’s primary next month, where Clinton holds a comfortable 51-38 percent lead in the polls.
As for November, according to polls, the general election at present is a dead heat, with Republican John McCain tied at 44 with either Obama or Clinton.
But Rasmussen suggests that McCain has at least some hope of doing well in the Democratic strongholds of Michigan and Pennsylvania come November.
The pollster yesterday moved Michigan into the “toss-up” category.
Earlier this week, Pennsylvania went from “likely Democratic” to merely “leans Democratic.”
According to Rasmussen, Democrats now lead in states with 247 electoral votes while the GOP leads in states with 229 electoral votes.
If states “leaning” one way or another are not included, the Democrats lead 214 to 189.
Nationally, McCain is viewed favorably by 53 percent and unfavorably by 43.
Obama is now viewed favorably by 52 percent of likely voters nationwide and unfavorably by 44.
Clinton earns positive reviews from 47 percent of likely voters nationwide and negative assessments from 50.
churt@nypost.com