The latest Quinnipac University poll shows Barack Obama surging ahead of John McCain in what will clearly be three of the most important states in the November election:
With strong support from women, blacks and younger voters, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the apparent Democratic presidential contender, leads Arizona Sen. John McCain, expected to be the Republican candidate, among likely voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to simultaneous Quinnipiac University Swing State polls released today.
This is the first time Sen. Obama has led in all three states. No one has been elected President since 1960 without taking two of these three largest swing states in the Electoral College. Results from the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University polls show:
- Florida: Obama edges McCain 47 - 43 percent;
- Ohio: Obama tops McCain 48 - 42 percent;
- Pennsylvania: Obama leads McCain 52 - 40 percent.
In the three states, Obama leads McCain 10 to 23 percentage points among women, while men are too close to call. The Democrat trails among white voters in Florida and Ohio, but gets more than 90 percent of black voters in each state. He also has double-digit leads among young voters in each state.
“Finally getting Sen. Hillary Clinton out of the race has been a big boost for Sen. Barack Obama. He now leads in all three of the major swing states, although his margins in Florida and Ohio are small,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
As things stand now, McCain needs to win at least two of these three states in order to win in November, and that assumes that he’s able to hold on to states like Virginia and North Carolina, where Obama seems to be prepared to give him a fight.
