Battleground Polls Show Stunning Shift To Obama

Barack Obama has opened up significant leads in virtually every key battleground state, according to multiple polls released Wednesday. The size of the shift towards the Democratic nominee may indeed be historic.

"It is difficult to find a modern competitive presidential race that has swung so dramatically, so quickly and so sharply this late in the campaign," says Peter Brown of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "In the last 20 days, Sen. Barack Obama has gone from seven points down to eight points up in Florida, while widening his leads to eight points in Ohio and 15 points in Pennsylvania."

The latest Quinnipiac polls show Obama crossing the 50 percent threshold in all three of those states:

Florida: 51 - 43

Ohio: 50 - 42

Pennsylvania: 54 - 39

A set of five CNN/Time battleground polls also show Obama breaking away in some key states:

Florida: Obama 51%, McCain 47%

Minnesota: Obama 54%, McCain 43%

Missouri: Obama 49%, McCain 48%

Nevada: Obama 51%, McCain 47%

Virginia: Obama 53%, McCain 44%

Said pollster Keating Holland: "Obama has gained ground among moderates in all five states. That may have something to do with the first presidential debate. Some commentators knocked Obama for agreeing with McCain as often as he did, but moderates tend to like it when candidates appear willing to see the other side's point of view."

Republicans appear understandably frustrated, perhaps despondent. Marc Ambinder notes: "I'm getting lots of e-mails speculating about the 2012 frontrunner for Republicans." But at least some see a sliver of...hope. The AP reports, "Obama's failure to achieve a double-digit lead and maintain it 'has given a lot of hope to Republicans,' GOP pollster Whit Ayres said."

Comments

[STEW2949]

Yes this is excellent news and all Obama supporters are delighted. All I want to see is that his followers remain steady and that they nurture him long term. No President will have entered the White House with a heavier yoke....the trillions in debt, the balance of payments that have to be addressed, energy efficiency and the need to become independant from oil. Iraq - Afghanistan and the removal of our troops in a prudent fashion. My God this is the time for a special person. We will all need to be patient and not demand the impossible of this man. Barack Obama is taking out a regime that is extremely powerful and unused to losing, that in itself will be an incredible feat. One term for stability, and a second for success. You have to pinch yourself sometimes don't you! We all have a dream....

[DumbDad]

I wonder how many Americans actually never heard more than a 7-second sound bite of Obama before the debate, not counting his well-delivered but widely suspected acceptance speech. I heard people saying they thought he was lacking substance because ''all his lines are written out for him". One evening of off-the-cuff Harvard life and they're getting the picture: this gentleman is no slouch.

[MikeJo]

I think that its becoming clear that this man is a knee jerk decider and that is the last thing we need. His performance during the bailout was erratic just as his vp choice was.

[HoldenLitgo]

Surely you refer to McCain as "this man"? It isn't clear in your post since the article is about Obama. "Knee jerk" and "erratic" can only be used to describe McCain's behavior in the last two months.

[seal62]

I wonder if he'll win his own state?

[thecanadian]

Arizona doesn't seem to like McCain very much! Good article
Arizona McCains Home state.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1989-11-29/news/mccain-the-most-reprehensible-of-the-keating-five/1

[azakayaks]

seal52 and thecanadian:
Not if this Arizonan has anything to do with it...
By the way here's a good link to Phoenix New Times about the Hensley's fortune and business dealings in Arizona with the mob, and the Don Bolles murder.
A heap of Arizonans dispise the man...and unfortunately know him all too well.

[azakayaks]

Duh, this should've been in the reply below. The link to Phoenix New Times and the Hensley-Bolles story. Sorry.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2000-02-17/news/haunted-by-spirits/5.

[LeonBNJ]

Growing numbers of American who are 'independent' or swing voters are realizing that 'change' may be a lot better than the current status under Bush/Chenney. Perhaps enough are becoming 'color-blind' realizing Obama and the Democrats are a far better choice than the Republicans when they look at their wallets and pocketbooks. Palin's nomination as VP may be one of the biggest single game changers overall as they see her as incompentent and McCain as well for choosing her.

[notbitterjustpissed]

In an effort to go around any tampering by the Repubs...if you can vote on a paper ballot in your state, do so and if you have early voting on paper ballots...deliver it in person. Do not mail it.

[Swedishgal]

Hmm. I think we have absentee ballots and I'm wondering if maybe we should be pushing those instead of just encouraging people to vote on Nov 4th. I'll talk to my and other precincts tonight to see what they think because we have the scanners but they can even be tampered with and we have a Republican Sec of State so I don't put anything past those people. There is nothing honorable about them (Repubs).

[trdsf]

Big difference here in Ohio since 2004.

Back then, when Katherin Harr... er, Ken Blackwell was SecState and stole Ohio for Bush (funny how only the electronic precincts didn't match the exit polls -- I once calculated that they only needed to flip one of every 37 Kerry votes to change the outcome from the exit poll numbers to the 'official' numbers), I requested a paper ballot and was flatly denied.

I requested one again in 2006 and was denied again, when Blackwell was on his way to an epic defeat at the hands of Ted Strickland and Ohio's executive offices went very blue. That year I actually had my voting credentials questioned at the poll for the first time in my life.

I don't miss elections. My first vote was the 1982 primaries, and I went. Since then, I have missed exactly one voting day, and that's counting odd-year local primaries. Basically, I was tagged for the Blackwellian crime of VWRD: Voting While Registered Democrat.

So in the primary earlier this year, I requested a paper ballot again.

I was promptly given one and led to a station to fill it out.

That tells me everything I need to know about who's serious about fair elections and boosting turnout.

So I second this: vote paper.

[ranger5]

This is good news. Hopefully by election day the polls will be so skewed in favor of Obama that whatever fraud the GOP is planning will immediately be exposed for what it is. It amazes me that after the record that the Repubs have created over the past 8 years that anyone would be willing to keep them in power. The damage they have done to this nation will take decades to overcome, and much of it cannot be corrected. For instance, a couple of thousand dead Americans in New Orleans, up to a million dead Iraqis, the retirements and pensions of millions of Americans wiped out, the loss of homes by a million or so Americans, the utter disregard for the rule of law by the chief executive and his minions, illegal intrusions into the privacy of American's communications, the use of torture as accepted practice on the part of government agencies, and now the attempt by the executive branch to essentially take over the purse strings of government from Congress. These people should not be just hounded from office. They should be held accountable in courts of law for all their crimes.

[Trinite]

Your are exactly right. Very well stated.

[Swedishgal]

One last money grab before they leave office. That's what the bailout is all about.

[newgeneration]

This is great news, but there is still a few weeks to go,, be prepared for the MacCain campaign to do whatever it takes to change this numbers. Obama needs to do what he's done all through this process, stay on message and focus on the issues, keeps his cool and don't be derail with all the bs, if he keeps doing that, he is going to win this thing !!
No matter how well or not Palin does tonight, she has already lost all credibility, and at the end, she would be the reason MacCain is going down . Common !!! old man , do you really think we are that stupid ?

[rigormrtis]

I wonder how McCain now feels about "the Surge" for Obama....

[LemonFreshScent]

Yes we Can!

But don't get lazy people!!!

If it could shift this sharply one way, it could shift back...

[lisakaz2]

Exactly. And never underestimate the ability of the Rethugs to suppress voters for various "reasons" or simply to manipulate electronic equipment to help their side. Therefore, able person desiring change HAS to vote for O. No Slacking People!!!

[FATGIRL37]

He's has been visiting the colleges to get some of our young ones who watch the Colbert Report.....to vote for him. It's very sad.....

[zenlikejen]

Why is that? Because the "kids" are actually paying attention?

[lisakaz2]

Who? Why sad?

[returnofthejedi]

so you support the imperial theory that the youth only hear one voice when it comes to the future of the nation. An old, tired , stale voice at that. I don't think the kids are listening. By the way you should thank all the people here replying to your venom. We are indeed a merciful people, sometimes too merciful.

[AnthonyVolpe]

I predict Obama's lead will erode by two or three points since he and Biden voted for the bailout.

Then again, McCain did too, so it may mean BOTH parties will lose votes.

I think Obama's still overall the better choice for president, but the bailout will hurt him politically, especially if the Repubs send someone to run against him in 2012 who voted against the bailout.

[manualfordemocracy]

"Repubs send someone to run against him in 2012 who voted against the bailout." but only if the bail out fails and only if the economy is bad.... if things are good in 2012, I think Hillary will get a change or Biden might.

[bongogirl]

OBAMA / BIDEN '08!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!

[Bitsko]

"It is difficult to find a modern competitive presidential race that has swung so dramatically, so quickly and so sharply this late in the campaign."

Who says dreams don't come true?

0bama / Biden 2008

[berrycooda]

Wonder what is behind that great big smile that Obama is always flashing.....

What if he happens to lose.....will he lose that happy face.....

Hurry up Nov. 4 so we can find somebody else to kick around.

[Bitsko]

Must be recess time at the elementary school.