Washington - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is preferred by a nearly 3-1 margin over his Republican rival John McCain by Hispanic voters in the United States, according to a new survey Thursday.

Obama beats McCain by 66 per cent to 23 per cent among registered Hispanic voters nationwide, the Pew Hispanic Center said. The support for Obama represents a wider shift towards the Democratic Party.

The poll showed that 65 per cent of Latinos said they identified with Democrats and only 26 per cent with Republicans - the largest margin this decade - and compares with only a 21-per-cent gap in support as late as 2006.

Obama had struggled to gain Hispanic support during his primary campaign for the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton. (dpa)