Obama Leads in Big Battleground States

Sara Murray reports on the presidential race. Sen. Barack Obama is outpacing Sen. John McCain in the battleground states that can deliver the largest electoral prizes as swing voters, anxious about the economy, pull his way. Obama leads in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to new polls from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute . The best news for him is certainly in Ohio—normally considered a must-win state for Republicans–where he widened his lead to 52% versus Sen. John McCain’s 38%. At the beginning of the month, Obama led by just eight percentage points in the state with 20 electoral college votes. Meantime in Pennsylvania, a state with 21 electoral votes and where the McCain campaign is making a big push, Obama leads 53% to 40%, a small slip from his 15-point lead in early October. The best news for McCain, on the other hand, comes in Florida. Though Obama still leads there, 49% to 44%, his five-point advantage is below his eight-point lead earlier this ... (link)