A slumping economy and skittish job market weighs heaviest on Montana voters' minds as they ponder the presidential election, a new Lee Newspapers poll shows.

Asked to identify the single, most important issue in deciding their presidential vote, 28 percent of Montanans listed the economy and jobs. Such economic concerns were far and away the most important issue identified. National security and terrorism came in a distant second, with just 14 percent claiming those as their No. 1 concern.

The poll was conducted by Mason Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., of Washington, D.C., for Lee Newspapers of Montana. The poll queried 625 registered Montana voters and was conducted May 19-21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Thirteen percent of those polled said Iraq was their top issue, while 12 percent cited energy policy and gas prices. Health care claimed 11 percent of voters, and 10 percent said moral issues and family values were their top concern. No other issue broke out of the single digits. Just 5 percent of those polled cited immigration as their top concern; 3 percent cited the environment and climate change.