Business Spotlight:

If Sen. Barack Obama had only to worry about the cookie eating electorate in Glendale, the stress of his presidential campaign might be greatly alleviated.

According to a presidential cookie poll Porto’s Bakery started Sept. 20, Obama is firmly ahead by 181 votes.

The thoroughly unscientific survey gauges where customers stand on the presidential race based on their purchased cookie — one featuring a “Democrat,” represented by the party’s donkey mascot, the other an elephant that symbolizes the Republican Party. Each butter cookie is dipped by hand in red and blue Belgium white chocolate and has white stars darting through the middle.

With less than 40 days to go until a historic election pitting two unprecedented presidential tickets against each other, political fever has swept the nation.

Television watching parties were held around the region and country during the first presidential debate Friday night and rallies for and against Obama and his opponent, Sen. John McCain, are a regular occurrence around Southern California, particularly when each visits the region.

McCain’s vice presidential nominee, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, is the first woman to be included on a Republican ticket for the White House while Democrat Obama is the first black candidate to receive his party’s nomination.

Hoping to capitalize on the excitement is Porto’s, the popular Cuban restaurant with locations in Glendale and Burbank.

But the restaurant has never entered the political fray and is doing so only under the guise that it encourages voter participation, not to sway customers toward one candidate.

“You don’t want to alienate one group or another,” co-owner Betty Porto said.

Still, customers in Glendale and Burbank are beginning to reveal their true political colors. In Glendale, 409 donkey cookies have been sold as of Friday to just 279 elephants. In Burbank, the count is closer with 219 Democrat cookies sold compared to 168 of the Republican variety.

Porto believes that her restaurant’s cookie poll will mirror a similar result when California’s presidential results are tabulated Nov. 4. So far, Obama’s lead over McCain in Porto’s poll represents a greater disparity than the Illinois senator’s actual lead among likely voters in the state.

According to a Sept. 25 Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey, Obama leads McCain 49% to 45%.