Clinton leads Obama among California Democrats

Democratic presidential candidates Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) (L) and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) pose before the CNN/Congressional Black Caucus Institute Democratic Party presidential debate at the Palace Theatre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina January 21, 2008.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton holds a 12 point lead over Barack Obama among Democrats likely to vote in California's February 5 primary, according to poll results released on Tuesday.

Thirty-nine percent said they would vote for Clinton, the senator from New York, and 27 percent said they would vote for Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, the survey conducted by The Field Poll showed.

Since December, each of the leading candidates has gained ground by pulling voters from John Edwards, who now polls at 10 percent, and other candidates.

A relatively large number, 20 percent, remain undecided.

Voters who ranked health care, jobs and the economy as the campaign's most important issues were most likely to favor Clinton, whose lead is largest among women, Latinos and lower-income voters.

Voters who ranked the Iraq war and foreign policy as the most important issues were most likely to favor Obama, who is preferred by blacks, college graduates and Democratic primary voters with household incomes of $80,000 or more.

Both candidates are highly regarded by three-quarters of the Democratic voters, but 58 percent said Clinton has the right experience for the presidency.

The Field Poll spoke to 377 registered voters likely to vote in California's Democratic primary election. The voters were contacted by phone between January 14 and January 20. The survey's margin of error was 5.2 percent.

(Reporting by Amanda Beck; editing by David Wiessler)