OBAMA UP IN POLLS

WASHINGTON (AP) – Barack Obama has vaulted ahead of John McCain in polls from three crucial battlegrounds states, just five weeks before the election.

The latest Quinnipiac University surveys in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania show Obama’s support has jumped to 50 percent or above.

Pollsters attribute the improvement to public approval of his debate performance last Friday. Other factors include antipathy for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and heightened confidence in Obama’s ability to handle the current economic crisis.

The new surveys show Obama leading McCain in Florida 51 to 43 percent, in Ohio 50 to 42 percent and in Pennsylvania 54 to 39 percent.

Since 1960, no president has been elected without winning two of those three states.