Barack Obama has failed to get a significant Oprah Winfrey-endorsement bounce in New Hampshire, a new poll finds.

The 7News-Suffolk University poll also suggests that the Mike Huckabee-mania that has moved the former Southern Baptist minister into the lead in some Iowa polls and in second place in some national polls hasn't hit New Hampshire.

Mitt Romney, at 31 percent, still leads by a hefty margin, with John McCain surging past Rudy Giuliani into second place, at 19, in the Republican presidential primary field, according to the new poll.

Mr. Giuliani has 17 percent, and Mr. Huckabee has 10 percent and fourth place, though 3 percentage points higher than last month.

Appearing to be candid with voters, which some political analysts thought might be nearly as imortant as likeability in this election, plays to Mr. McCain's strength, the poll found.

More New Hampshire voters — 15 percent — said Mr. McCain is the most candid candidate, 13 percent named Mr. Obama and 11 percent named Hillary Clinton.

The poll sampled 300 voters likely to participate in the Jan. 8 Democratic primary and was conducted Monday and Tuesday, after Miss Winfrey's appearance in the state with Mr. Obama on Sunday.

The poll also sampled 300 voters likely to vote in the Republican primary and was conducted on Sunday and Monday.

Significantly, the poll found that Mrs. Clinton benefits from John Edwards staying in the Democratic nomination contest.

Among his supporters, 57 percent had a favorable view of Mr. Obama and 26 percent had an unfavorable view. But 46 percent view Mrs. Clinotn favorably, while 39 percent see her unfavorably.

"If Edwards were to fold after Iowa, most of his voters would probably migrate to Mr. Obama," said poll director David Paleologos.

In another significant trend, Mr. Paleologos noted that Democratic voters were deserting the lowest-tier candidates and moving to Mr. Obama or to the undecided column, which shifted from 12 percent to 19 percent in the same poll last month.

Mr. Paleologos said Mr. Romney's three-point decline decline from last month may be related, in part, to "a disagreement about the role of religion in government."

"When likely Republican voters were asked if freedom requires religion, as Romney claimed in his speech on 'Faith in America' last week, 55 percent said 'no' while 34 per cent said 'yes,' " he said. "And 53 percent said there should be complete separation of church and state, while 35 percent said no."

— Ralph Z. Hallow, senior national correspondent, The Washington Times