Arizona Senator John McCain leapt in front of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in two, New Hampshire media polls to be announced tonight.

   In both, McCain leads Romney by 6 percentage points ahead of the survey’s margin of error.

    McCain led with 33 percent to 27 percent for Romney in the latest, CNN/WMUR poll coming out hours before tonight’s critical debate at St. Anselm College.

    Research 2000 polls for The Concord Monitor and sources confirmed McCain is out in front on that poll with 35 percent to 29 percent for Romney and 13 percent for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

   Meanwhile, Democrat Barack Obama had a tighter lead over Hillary Rodham Clinton if you meld together three other, independent surveys released earlier this afternoon.

    Realclearpolitics.com did just that and had Obama out in front with 33 percent to 30 percent for Clinton, 18 percent for former North Carolina Senator John Edwareds and 5.5 percent for Gov. Bill Richardson.

     American Research Group of Manchester scores it big for Obama with 38 percent to 26 percent for Clinton and 20 percent for former North Carolina Senator Barack Obama.

   Conversely, Suffolk University/WHDH was the one not joining the pack and it gave Clinton a seven point advantage, 36 percent for Clinton to 29 percent for Obama, 13 percent for Edwards and 4 percent for Richardson.

    CNN/WMUR today called the race literally a dead heat with 34 percent, 33 percent for Obama and 23 percent for Edwards.

    That’s a four point pickup for Obama who trailed, 34-30, in its most recent survey released on Thursday.

    The other troubling news is former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had slipped to being tied for fourth place with Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

    -30-