Immediately following last night’s debate between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, SurveyUSA interviewed 1,000 state of Washington adults, of whom 631 watched the debate.

Of all debate watchers:
40% say McCain was the clear winner.
38% say Obama was the clear winner.
23% say there was no clear winner.

But: Independents, the most critical, coveted and arguably most dispassionate group of debate watcher, gave by 4:3 the nod to McCain.  Republicans by 6:1 say McCain won. Democrats by 6:1 say Obama won. Those two groups offset.
Debate watchers say McCain understands Iraq better, McCain understands Iran better, McCain understands Russia better. Debate watchers split on who they trust more on the economy, split on who was more presidential. Overwhelmingly, debate watchers say moderator Jim Lehrer was fair to both candidates. About half wish Lehrer had spent more time on the economy.

Click here for the full results of this poll.