Polls: Obama, Clinton close in Iowa, NH

THE RACE: The presidential race for Democrats and Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire.

___

THE NUMBERS - DEMOCRATS

IOWA

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 29 percent

Barack Obama, 26 percent

John Edwards, 25 percent

Bill Richardson, 6 percent

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Barack Obama, 32 percent

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 30 percent

John Edwards, 18 percent

Bill Richardson, 5 percent

___

THE NUMBERS — REPUBLICANS

IOWA

Mike Huckabee, 37 percent

Mitt Romney, 23 percent

John McCain, 11 percent

Fred Thompson, 11 percent

Rudy Giuliani, 6 percent

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Mitt Romney, 34 percent

John McCain, 21 percent

Rudy Giuliani, 14 percent

Mike Huckabee, 9 percent

Ron Paul, 6 percent

OF INTEREST: The New Hampshire poll showed the rapidly changing landscape for Democrats — with Obama and Clinton basically even there now after she led 35 percent to 16 percent in September. The Clinton campaign has considered New Hampshire something of a firewall since the race in Iowa is a three-way battle. But the poll suggests that Clinton — with higher marks on national security — could gain ground in both states if the public becomes concerned after the assassination Thursday in Pakistan of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Republicans in New Hampshire and Iowa consider McCain the GOP candidate best equipped to handle national security. The Iowa poll captured Huckabee's rapidly growing strength among born-again Christians and regular churchgoers in Iowa, but also among women and disaffected voters.

___

The Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg News telephone poll was conducted Dec. 20-23 and Dec. 26 with 2,145 registered voters in Iowa and 1,279 in New Hampshire. The margin of sampling error among Democratic primary and caucus voters in both states was plus or minus 4 percentage points; for Republican caucus voters in Iowa it was 6 percentage points; for Republican voters in New Hampshire it was 5 points.

On the Net: http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2007-12/34457997.pdf