Clinton holds narrow Nevada lead on Obama: poll

Washington: Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow five-point lead on rival Barack Obama in Nevada on the eve of the state's presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Friday.

Clinton led by 42 per cent to 37 percent in the rolling tracking poll. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards was a distant third with 12 percent.

In South Carolina, where Republicans vote on Saturday, Arizona Sen. John McCain maintained a steady 7-point edge on former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, 29 per cent to 22 per cent, although rival and Mitt Romney gained three points overnight to climb into third place at 15 per cent.

Both polls had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

Nevada and South Carolina are the next battlegrounds in the race to choose candidates for November's election to succeed President George W. Bush, with the winners in each state hoping to pick up some momentum as the calendar accelerates to February 5 contests in 22 states.