Big Ten poll gives Obama a big lead
If the Big Ten battleground states are any indication how the presidential election will go, Sen. Barack Obama will handily defeat Sen. John McCain in the race for the White House.
The Big Ten Battleground Poll released Thursday shows Obama with significant leads in all eight states that have universities comprising the Big Ten Conference, a major shift in voter sentimentality from the first poll taken in September that had Obama leading in one state and both candidates neck and neck in the other seven states.
"Obama is clearly winning the Big Ten battleground," said UW-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin, co-director of the poll. "The dominance of the economy as a top issue for voters is the overwhelming story."
Obama, the Democratic candidate, expanded his lead over Republican candidate McCain in Obama's home state of Illinois, with 61 percent of the 572 voters polled in Illinois favoring Obama and only 32 percent giving McCain the nod.
In Michigan, Obama had a 58 percent to 36 percent edge over McCain, with percentage margins of 57 percent to 38 percent in Minnesota, 53 percent to 40 percent in Wisconsin, 52 percent to 39 percent in Iowa, 52 percent to 41 percent in Pennsylvania, 53 percent to 41 percent in Ohio and 51 percent to 41 percent in Indiana.
The polls were conducted by phone Oct. 19-22 in each of the eight states, with a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.
The pollsters also conducted a nationally representative sample of 1,014 voters, with Obama holding a nine-point lead over McCain, 52 percent to 43 percent.
Poll co-director and UW-Madison political scientist Ken Goldstein said the Obama campaign surged when the bad economy became the key topic.
"With the fundamental factors so to their advantage, this election was always about Barack Obama and the Democrats reaching a threshold level of credibility with voters," Goldstein said. "It appears Obama has, and this race has popped nationally and here in the Big Ten."
The Big Ten Battleground poll will be discussed in detail on the Big Ten Network (Charter Cable channel 73) at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Associated Press
The Big Ten Battleground Poll released Thursday shows Barack Obama with significant leads in all eight states that have universities comprising the Big Ten Conference.
