Generic Republican Widens Lead on Obama in Gallup Poll

Voters are growing more likely to vote for a Republican challenger over Obama, as a generic "Republican candidate" opened a 47%-39% lead, according to a new survey by Gallup. Obama had a slight advantage in May, thanks largely to the killing of Osama bin Laden, but Republicans pulled slightly ahead in June. The Republican advantage is even greater among independent voters, who now prefer a Republican candidate over Obama by 44%-34%, although 22% remain uncertain.

With an approval rating lower than both Bush presidents at a similar point in their administrations, "President Obama's re-election prospects do not look very favorable at this point," says Gallup. However, it also points out that "results more than a year ahead of the election do not have a large degree of predictive ability." And despite the strengths of a generic Republican, the poll advantage may not translate to the actual Republican who wins the nomination. Click for the full results. (More Gallup poll stories.)