US News

O IS JUST HALFWAY UP THE HILL IN WOOING HER VOTERS

Sen. Barack Obama has won the support of slightly more than half of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton‘s backers, which suggests he has made inroads but has more work to do to heal bruised feelings, a new poll showed yesterday.

The numbers, detailed in an Associated Press-Yahoo! poll, came a day before Obama and Clinton were slated for their first joint public appearance today in the town of Unity, NH, as the two sides try to reunite Democrats.

The survey showed 53 percent of Democrats who supported Clinton two months ago are now behind Obama in the general election.

That’s a boost for Obama over his numbers in April, when a mere 40 percent of her boosters said they would move over to her primary rival instead of GOP Sen. John McCain in the November contest.

Still, 23 percent of voters who were with Clinton say they will go for McCain, who, like Obama, has been making a pitch to her backers, particularly women.

“We still have work to do,” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe acknowledged this week.

Clinton and Obama took a big step toward mending fences when they broke bread last night before a closed-door meeting with more than 200 of her biggest financial backers at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel.

Obama got a standing ovation when he said he would enlist his supporters to help Clinton pay off her massive campaign debt.

“The real poignant moment was when he said, look, we need to help her out,” former Rep. Tom McMillen said.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, cut Clinton a check for $4,600.

One person who attended the meeting made an explicit request that Obama put Clinton on the ticket.

Obama went on to the next question, according to Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens/Brooklyn).

When asked about what role Clinton would play in the convention, Obama said he wasn’t going to negotiate, according to sources.

When a questioner spoke about sexism in the campaign, Obama “acknowledged there was sexism as well as racism in this,” said Beth Dozoretz, a Clinton backer.

Many of Clinton’s big bundlers said they were ready to work hard for Obama.

“Can I say right now that I’m a passionate supporter of Obama? . . . Absolutely, without any equivocation,” said former Loral Corp. Chairman Bernard Schwartz, a major Clinton backer.

Obama is set for a major fund-raising swing through New York starting July 9, sources said.

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama was the featured speaker at a Democratic National Committee gay and lesbian leadership dinner last night at the Waldorf-Astoria, where she talked about equality and the need to undo the Defense of Marriage Act. With Post Wire Services

maggie.haberman@nypost.com