Quinnipiac Poll: Obama Crosses 50 Percent in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida

Barack Obama has surged ahead of John McCain in the key swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, according to Quinnipiac University’s latest polls.

Obama leads McCain 50 percent to 42 percent in Ohio, 54 percent to 39 percent in Pennsylvania, and 51 percent to 43 percent in Florida. Obama had led Quinnipiac’s previous surveys in those states, but his level of support was 49 percent.

The latest polls were taken after Friday’s debate. Obama was seen as the winner of the debate by more voters in the three states.

In a analysis, pollster Peter Brown said that it’s hard to find a modern, competitive presidential race that has “swung so dramatically, so quickly and so sharply this late in the campaign.”

In previous Quinnipiac polls taken in September, Obama had been losing to McCain in Florida, Brown noted.