Barack Obama is holding on to his lead in national and state polls as he and John McCain focus on a handful of states that will be crucial in deciding the Nov. 4 presidential election.

A CBS News/New York Times poll released today showed that Obama has picked up support since the candidates started a series of three televised debates. Pollsters who re-interviewed likely voters from a late September survey, conducted before the first debate, found that Obama jumped to a 13-percentage-point advantage among that group, from a 5-point lead last month.

The CBS/New York Times poll said that 98 percent of Obama's supporters from September still backed the Democratic nominee, while Republican McCain has held onto 88 percent of his backers. Obama led McCain 52 percent to 36 percent among voters who were undecided in September, with 12 percent still unsure about their preference. read more
Source:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.N31v.V5LbY&refer=home