Opinion Research (pdf) conducted a poll of 940 registered voters in Missouri for Time/CNN from September 7th through the 9th. The margin of error is 3%.

2/2a.  If Barack Obama and Joe Biden were the Democratic Party’s candidates and John McCain and Sarah Palin were the Republican Party’s candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for — Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the Democrats, or John McCain and Sarah Palin, the Republicans?  (IF UNSURE:) As of today, who do you lean more toward?  (RANDOM ORDER)

Obama – 45%

McCain – 50%

Neither – 3%

Other – 1%

No Opinion – 1%

There’s a variation on the theme, too:

3/3a.  Now suppose that the presidential candidates on the ballot in your state included Barack Obama as the Democratic Party’s candidate, John McCain as the Republican candidate, Bob Barr as the Libertarian party candidate, Cynthia McKinney as the Green party candidate and Ralph Nader, who is unaffiliated with a national party, who would you be more likely to vote for? (IF UNSURE:) As of today, who do you lean more toward?  (RANDOM ORDER)

Obama – 44%

McCain – 48%

Barr – 2%

McKinney – *

Nader – 3%

None – 1%

Other – *

No Opinion – 1%

That’s interesting – with the fringe candidates in the mix McCain loses 2% and Obama only loses 1%.