GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE UP TWO POINTS IN GALLUP POLL

Not only is Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama not experiencing a boost in the polls after naming his running mate over the weekend, but for the first time since winning his party’s primary, he’s now trailing in the polls. And worse, this news comes in the middle of his convention, where he will formally accept the Democratic nod to run for the White House Thursday.

A Gallup three day tracking poll released Tuesday gave Republican John McCain a 46-44 percent national edge. It is the first time since June, when Obama sealed the Democratic nomination, that McCain has led.

Although the race has been neck-and-neck until now, Obama has previously enjoyed at least a few point lead. McCain tied Obama Sunday, a day after the Illinois Senator named Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate.

That poll ended hopes for any chance of a “Biden bump,” and today’s news is particularly crushing for the Obama camp given that it hits at the height of the Democratic national convention — a time when candidates usually gain ground.

Historically, this is great news for McCain. No candidate leading the Gallup poll on June 30 (Obama led by two points) has ever won the White House, proving that a well-timed late-August or early-September peak could bring victory.

In fact, Republicans are usually trailing their Democratic opponents during the convention weeks. Following the 2004 Democratic Convention, polls showed John Kerry leading George Bush by anywhere from six to 10 points. Democrat Al Gore held a one point lead coming out of his convention in 2000.