9 months till Washington state voters elect a Governor, Republican Rob McKenna edges slightly further ahead of Democrat Jay Inslee, 49% to 39%, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for KING-TV Seattle. One month ago, McKenna had led by 3. McKenna continues to do well among men, but now he newly though narrowly also leads among women. A majority of those in Eastern Washington, a majority of more affluent voters, and a majority of college-educated voters back the Republican.

In head-to-head matchups for President of the United States, Barack Obama captures Washington's 12 electoral votes, and keeps Washington a Blue State, by defeating:

* Mitt Romney by 11 points, 50% to 39%.
* Rick Santorum by 13 points, 51% to 38%.
* Ron Paul by 13 points, 50% to 37%.
* Newt Gingrich by 22 points, 56% to 34%.

Voters are split on Obama's ability to create jobs. 42% have confidence in the President. 48% have no confidence.

Cell phone respondents and home phone respondents included in this research. 650 registered voters from the state of WA were interviewed by SurveyUSA 02/13/12 through 02/15/12. Of them, 572 were registered to vote and asked the questions that appear here. This research was conducted using blended sample, mixed mode. Respondents reachable on a home telephone (75% of registered voters) were interviewed on a home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents unreachable on a home telephone (25% of registered voters) were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet, laptop or other electronic device. In this research, cell phone and home phone respondents vote differently on key issues. Examples In a head-to-head matchup, Barack Obama leads Rick Santorum by 3 points among home phone respondents, indicating a possible close race. But among cell phone respondents, Obama leads by 42 points, a 45-point difference.