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Also, a Pew Research Center poll in June found growing support for more energy exploration. Roughly the same percentage of people said drilling and other exploration should be the top priority as said energy conservation should get the most attention. A few months earlier, far more people favored conservation than exploration.

Said Kohut: "Politically, I think it's the only domestic, economically leaning issue where the Republicans have a slight opportunity -- even advantage -- because of the trend in support for even greater exploration."

More than half of those in a USA Today/Gallup Poll in late July said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who favored easing restrictions on offshore drilling, while one third said they'd be likelier to oppose that candidate. Even more -- nearly seven in 10 -- said they'd be likelier to support a candidate who favored tax breaks for energy conservation, raising mileage requirements for vehicles, and increasing federal research on alternative energy.

GOP efforts may be swaying some undecided voters.

"I would have to lean more toward McCain with this offshore drilling," said Gene Zupkofska, 71, a retiree in Rockland, Mass. In Amarillo, Texas, Terry Hearn, too, cited McCain's drilling position on that as a primary reason he's seriously considering the Republican over the Democrat. Said Hearn, age 51: "They need to do something" to try to lower gas prices.

McCain reversed his opposition to more offshore drilling in June and endorsed lifting a federal moratorium to allow individual states to decide whether to drill in waters off their coasts. Thereafter, President Bush backed the move and Republicans in Congress beat the drilling drum.

Obama was pulled in two directions as liberal Democrats continued to oppose drilling because of environmental concerns while other Democrats revised their longtime positions to respond to voters' distress.

Over the last week, Obama dropped his longtime opposition to offshore drilling and to using the nation's oil stockpile: He said he'd be willing to support limited offshore drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive energy policy and proposed releasing 70 million barrels from the nation's 707-million-barrel strategic oil reserve to help lower pump prices.

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Associated Press Writers Christine Simmons and Alan Fram contributed to this report.

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