The Democratic presidential race has become a cliffhanger as a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll on Sunday showed Barack Obama wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's double-digit national lead just before coast-to-coast contests on TuesdayThe pair stood at Clinton 45%, Obama 44% in the latest snapshot of the volatile race. Republican John McCain also surged in the poll, posting a decisive 42%-24% lead over Mitt Romney. Mike Huckabee trailed at 18%.McCain greeted the news cautiously. "We'll see how the votes go. We'll keep working," he said.With a celebrity cast and some Super Tuesday states too close to call, interest was high. Seven in 10 people in the poll said they were paying "quite a lot" of attention - up from 58% at this point in 2004, during another high-interest wartime race.The Wednesday through Saturday poll of adults nationwide came after Rudy Giuliani left the GOP race and Democrat John Edwards' exit set up a Clinton-Obama clash.Obama strategist David Axelrod said Clinton is "the greatest brand name in Democratic politics." Still, he said, the Illinois senator has made good progress and "there's a powerful, powerful mood for change in this country."Obama has ridden a wave of momentum since a landslide win Jan. 26 in South Carolina. On Sunday, he ran a TV ad during the Super Bowl on local Fox stations in 23 states. Building on a series of Kennedy family endorsements, he received support from California's first lady, Maria Shriver.
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