Quinnipiac: Obama Sees Gains in Ohio, Losses in Pa., Fla.

Barack Obama has taken a five-percentage-point lead over John McCain in Ohio, while McCain has gained ground on Obama in Pennsylvania and increased his lead in Florida, a new poll by Quinnipiac University says.

Quinnipiac’s is the only major poll to report a lead for Obama in Ohio this month. Obama leads there 49 percent to 44 percent according to the university, marking a four-point pullaway from McCain since its last poll, released Aug. 26. That survey showed Obama leading 44 percent to 43 percent.

McCain, meanwhile, has picked up four percentage points on Obama in Pennsylvania and widened his Florida lead by three since late August, according to Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac has Obama up 48 percent to 45 percent in Pennsylvania, down from his late-August lead of 49 percent to 42 percent in its late-August poll.

McCain leads Obama 50 percent to 43 percent in Florida, according to Quinnipiac. Its last poll showed him leading there 47 percent to 43 percent.

Quinnipiac’s polls–both today’s and August’s–largely concur with others conducted in Pennsylvania and Florida, though Quinnipiac’s Ohio results have favored Obama more so than other surveys. Major polls, however, have yielded widely differing results in Ohio since Obama and McCain emerged as their parties’ candidates.