The latest Fox News/Rasmussen poll of battleground states continues to convey good news for Barack Obama and bad news for John McCain.
As I’ve already noted, Obama holds a three-point lead over John McCain in Virginia.
Additionally, Obama leads McCain in Florida:
Barack Obama now has a five-point lead – 51% to 46% — on John McCain in Florida, according to the latest Fox News/Rasmussen reports telephone survey in the state. Libertarian candidate Bob Barr draws one percent (1%) of the vote.
McCain had generally been leading in Florida until late last month when the race was tied up. Since then Obama has been moving ahead. He led by seven points a week ago in the Fox News/Rasmussen Reports poll. A poll conducted in the middle of last week showed Obama with a three-point advantage.
McCain is viewed favorably by 54% and unfavorably by 44%. For Obama, his favorables are 55%, his unfavorables 43%.
Barack Obama holds a 50% to 47% lead in Missouri for the second week in a row, according to the latest Fox News/Rasmussen Reports survey in the state.
Obama took the lead in the state a week ago, as national trends began to move the Democrat’s way. In September at this time, McCain was ahead by six. The Republican had led for most of the year in the Show-Me State.
And, Ohio:
Barack Obama has pulled in front of John McCain in Ohio. The latest Fox News/Rasmussen Reports telephone poll in the state finds Obama leading 49% to 47%.
This is the first poll where Obama has been ahead since tracking of the race began in February. McCain has led by a single percentage points for the past three weeks, after a four-point lead in mid-September. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of voters say they are certain of who they will vote
And is tied in traditionally Republican North Carolina:
It’s all tied in North Carolina.
The latest Fox News/Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 48% of Tar Heel voters prefer Barack Obama while an identical number favor John McCain
. One percent (1%) say they’ll vote for Libertarian candidate Bob Barr, and three percent (3%) remain undecided.
Obama had held a one-point edge in polling conducted last week and a three-point edge two weeks ago.
McCain was ahead in North Carolina before the problems on Wall Street became visible to Americans everywhere. Not surprisingly, the numbers in North Carolina reflect national trends. McCain was slightly ahead before Lehman Brothers collapsed in mid-September and fell behind shortly thereafter.
McCain needs to turn things around in all of these states if he’s going to have any shot at winning.
