MANCHESTER , New Hampshire ( CNN ) -- On the eve of the New Hampshire primary , Sen. Barack Obama has a nine-point lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the state , according to a CNN-WMUR poll out Monday . Obama , the first-term senator from Illinois who won last week 's Iowa caucuses , led the New York senator and former first lady 39 percent to 30 percent in a poll conducted Saturday through Sunday evening -- a sharp change from a poll out Saturday that showed the Democratic front-runners tied at 33 percent . Preliminary results from the poll released Sunday night showed Obama with a lead of 10 percentage points . Support for former Sen. John Edwards , who edged out Clinton for second place in Iowa , dropped from 20 percent in Saturday 's poll to 16 percent . New Mexico Gov . Bill Richardson ranked fourth among the Democratic contenders with 7 percent , while Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich trailed at 1 percent . Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel had less than one half of 1 percent support . `` The Iowa caucus results have convinced growing numbers of Granite State voters that Obama can really go all the way , '' CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said . `` In December , 45 percent thought Clinton had the best chance of beating the GOP nominee . But in Saturday 's poll , Clinton and Obama were tied on that measure , and now Obama has a 42 percent to 31 percent edge over Clinton on electability . '' The CNN/WMUR polls is consistent with six other non-partisan polls taken since the Iowa caucuses . All seven polls show Obama leading Clinton by margins ranging from 1 to 13 points -- with the average Obama lead at 7 points . All the polls show Edwards in third place . The CNN/WMUR polls `` strongly suggests an Obama surge in New Hampshire , '' CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider said . So is it all over ? Not necessarily , according to Schneider . `` The CNN poll shows Obama and Clinton nearly tied among registered Democrats . Obama 's lead is coming from independents , '' he said . Obama 's success depends on whether independents turn out in large numbers on Tuesday and vote in the Democratic rather than Republican primary , according to Schneider . On the Republican side , Sen. John McCain leads former Massachusetts Gov . Mitt Romney by a narrower margin -- 31 percent to 26 percent , the survey found . Former Arkansas Gov . Mike Huckabee -- whose upset win in Iowa came after being outspent by millions of dollars by Romney -- passed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to gain third place . Watch Candy Crowley explain the high stakes in New Hampshire » . In Saturday 's poll , Giuliani had 14 percent and Huckabee had 11 percent . In Monday 's poll , Huckabee had the support of 13 percent , while Giuliani had 10 percent . The results suggest that Huckabee 's win in Iowa , which saw him win strong support among evangelical Christian voters , is giving him momentum in more secular , libertarian-oriented New Hampshire , CNN Political Analyst Bill Schneider said . Among other Republicans , anti-war Texas congressman and onetime Libertarian Party presidential nominee Ron Paul was in fifth place at 10 percent in the poll , with Rep. Duncan Hunter of California and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee both at 1 percent . The poll , conducted by the University of New Hampshire , surveyed 599 likely Democrats and 492 Republicans likely to vote in Tuesday 's primary . It had a sampling error of 4 percentage points . Crucial to the outcome in New Hampshire are the state 's independent voters , who make up around 40 percent of the electorate , and who can vote in either party 's primary . With time running out , 6 percent of likely Democratic primary voters and 5 percent of those likely to vote in the GOP primary remain undecided . The poll indicates that a growing number of registered independents say they will vote in the GOP contest , which is a switch from just a month ago . Whether independents decide to vote in the Democratic or Republican primaries could affect the outcome of both races , Schneider said , noting that McCain ties Romney among registered Republicans but has an 11-point lead when independent voters are included . `` So McCain is not just running against Romney . He 's also running against Obama for independent support . '' Obama appears to be pulling even with Clinton among women , a voting bloc that she once dominated in the polls . And when asked which candidate has the best chance of beating the Republican presidential nominee , likely Democratic primary voters now choose Obama over Clinton 42 percent to 31 percent . That 's a dramatic reversal from the last CNN/WMUR New Hampshire poll taken after Christmas and just before the Iowa caucuses , when Clinton beat Obama in electability by a two to one margin . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Bill Schneider and Keating Holland contributed to this report .
Obama leading Clinton 39 percent to 30 percent in recent N.H. poll . McCain is leading the GOP pack in New Hampshire . Romney was front-runner in most New Hampshire polls until last month . New Hampshire holds its primaries January 8 .