Hillary Rodham Clinton leads the race in the Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary by nine points over Barack Obama, according to a poll released yesterday by WPRI-12/RIpolitics.tv.

In the poll of 401 likely voters statewide, 49 percent favored Clinton, 40 percent were for Obama and 11 percent were undecided.

The poll, conducted by Fleming & Associates, has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

Telephone interviews for the poll were conducted Feb. 24-27.

Respondents were asked, “If the Rhode Island Democratic primary for U.S. president was being held today, and the candidates were Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, for whom would you vote? Clinton or Obama?”

Rhode Islanders go to the polls on Tuesday for the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. Texas, Ohio and Vermont also vote on Tuesday.

Arizona Sen. John McCain is poised to lock up the Republican nomination Tuesday.

Obama, a senator from Illinois, leads in delegates to the Democratic Party’s nominating convention in Denver. Polls in Ohio and Texas suggest that Obama has erased Clinton’s large leads in those states, and those races are very tight. Obama leads in Vermont polls.

Other recent public opinion surveys also suggested Clinton, a senator from New York, is ahead in Rhode Island.

marsenau@projo.com